


Healing Sorrow

by Flaming_Blossom, princeyukki



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Advanced Version of Tag, Alternate Universe - Mineta Minoru Doesn't Exist, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bakugou Katsuki Gets Therapy, Big Brother Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Crossdressing, Dadzawa - An Aizawa Shota Zine, Don't Mess With His Hoard of Children, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Izuku is Secretly a School Nurse, Jealousy, M/M, Mentioned Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Minor Original Character(s), Momma Izuku, Multi, Other, Romance, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko Needs a Hug, Shinsou Hitoshi is in Class 1-A, Slow Burn, Universe Alterations, crossover-ish, i think
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 75,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23817175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flaming_Blossom/pseuds/Flaming_Blossom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/princeyukki/pseuds/princeyukki
Summary: Izuku Midoriya was born into the 80% of the worlds population that manifested a quirk. Though, due to several past complications, he is forced to pose as quirkless. Luckily, he has people to look after him, such as a motherly yet irresponsible feline, and a very tired nurse.Along with UA's ups, downs, and in-betweens...Izuku has two rivals fighting for his love.(my take on Healer!Izuku)
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Midoriya Izuku/Sensei | All For One, Midoriya Izuku/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 81
Kudos: 337





	1. Basically The Pilot Episode Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Magic Exists](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20119813) by [ChronoQuantify](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChronoQuantify/pseuds/ChronoQuantify). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have already read this chapter, this is just a rewrite as I was unsatisfied with the first version. It's pretty much the same, but worded a bit differently and I corrected a few "facts". If you would like to join the discord server, I'll be putting the link in the end notes!

**The first incident started in Qing Qing city, as an extraordinary child who radiated light was born. After that, more and more cases of mysterious new powers popped up across the globe. No one knew what was causing these superpowers, but before long, the world became a superhuman society. At first, these abilities were feared, and whoever possessed one became an outcast. Now, at least 80% of the population has an uncanny ability that is known as “Quirks”- the quirkLESS have become the outcasts.**

**The sad truth about our current society: not all men are created equal. At 4 years old, Izuku Midoriya learned that some people have more power than others, while the rest were forced to hide theirs because of their fear of how society would treat them for it…**

**It was almost after a year of her son not showing any signs of getting a quirk that Inko began to see the pattern of him coming from school covered in scrapes and bruises, his smile becoming more absent, and each day only brings more pain for him. Izuku would do anything he could to avoid answering when she asked about it. On some days, he wouldn’t say much but a simple “Thank you” after she cleaned up his wounds & bandaged them up, then a small “Goodnight” before trudging upstairs to his room. Soon enough, the four-year-old seemed to completely give up hope of ever having a quirk. Inko didn’t know what to do; her son was being bullied because of his lack of power while she idly sat by.**

**When she brought up her concerns with the principal, he brushed it off as boys-being-boys. She tried asking Izuku if he wanted to move schools, but he quickly made it clear that he wanted to stay in the same place as Katsuki, or as he called the blond, Kacchan. Inko didn't know what to do, she didn't even know who was picking on her precious son or what was being said to him at school. Suing sounded like a good idea at some point, but was brushed aside as a last resort once he started middle school.**

**Until then, Inko tried everything she could that she knew made Izuku happy; talking to him about heroes, buying him All Might merch, and even asking what he thought about different quirks they had seen on the news, but it never helped. As July had slowly crept closer, she asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, but all she got in return was a shrug. However, she didn't give up yet as she still had one more idea that could bring back her son’s contagious smile…**

**So, whenever Izuku’s birthday finally came around, Inko immediately began to prepare her son’s favorite dish, Katsudon. Occasionally, she would ask if he wanted to help, but he would shake his head, content to simply watch from one of the barstools set up at the island. She had just finished prepping the pork, taking it from the hot oil and setting it on the cutting board to be sliced into sections, when she noticed the expression he wore. It wasn’t sad, but it certainly wasn’t happy either, more like he was contemplating something.**

**“Is there something wrong, Izuku? If you don’t want Katsudon tonight I can make something else- just say the word and we can have katsudon another night. ”**

**He sat quietly, looking unsure. Inko patiently waited, working on the pork again while she let her son take his time. Halfway through the second pork chop, he asked in a strained voice, ”Momma, do you think I can still be a hero, even if I’m quirkless?”**

**Quirkless. That damned word that was used against her son as an insult. She wasn’t blind, she knew how society treated those without any powers; or even the ones that have quirks that are considered villainous or monstrous. Even those with good quirks were screwed over if they had the right one that caught the Hero Public Safety Commission's attention- all it took was one slip-up and you were used as a tool, no longer a human being.**

**But his question, it struck a chord in her heart. The first time he had asked her that, she apologized instead of being there for her son, cheering him on and encouraging him to chase his dreams.**

**“-ma, are you okay? I'm sorry, that question was dumb. I won't ask again.” Izuku’s small voice along with a sharp pain in her palm startled her back to reality. Her son gasped, worry and guilt written all over his face.**

**“You're bleeding! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!”**

**She looked at her hand, seeing red liquid flow out of the deep cut, quickly grabbing a cloth with warm water to clean it and stop the bleeding.**

**“Izuku, it's not your fault sweetheart. Mommy just had a bit of an accident.” she tried explaining.**

**He shook his head, tears forming in his eyes, ”But it is! If I wouldn't have said anything and distracted you, you wouldn’t be hurt.”**

**Inko quickly went to her son’s side, cupping his cheek with her good hand and wiping away any tears. “I spaced out for a while when I should have been careful. None of it’s your fault, okay baby?”**

**After a minute or so, he nodded. Throwing the cloth in the trash, she went back to her son, facing her palm towards him,” See? I'm okay, just a little slip-up.”**

**The blood had stopped and it was still clear that the gash was deep enough to cut into an artery, but it wasn't something one or two stitches couldn't fix in the worst case scenario. He reached out, carefully pulling her hand toward him and put a gentle kiss over the incision.**

**“Izuku wha-”**

**“It's what you do when I get hurt, so I thought it might help…”**

**She could feel her chest tighten up once more at her child's words, tears already beginning to stream down her cheeks. Quirkless or not, Inko knew her son would fabricate into an incredible hero. They sat like that for some time, Inko gently hugging her son while he laid his head on her shoulder. The hug only lasted until she felt a tingling sensation on her hand that replaced any previous pain.**

**Looking down and expecting to see the wound, only for it to be** **_gone_ ** **. Not even a scar remained- like she never got hurt in the first place. It was exactly like her husband's quirk. Her son had a** **_quirk._ **

**_He had a quirk this whole time, and I didn’t even realize it._ **

**“Izuku,” she let go, facing her palm to him once more, ”Look, honey.”**

**He tilted his head in confusion, unable to understand his mother’s sudden excitement. Inko lifted up her other hand, facing it to him. It only took a second for him to put two-and-two together,” Momma, wha- your hand! It's all better, but I thought only papa could do that?”**

**“It's your quirk, baby. You have a healing ability like your father and fixed mommy’s hand.”**

**His eyes lit up like stars; Once he told Kacchan about it, he couldn't call Izuku a useless Deku anymore and they could go back to being friends! For the next ten minutes, he ran around the kitchen yelling, ”I have a quirk!” Inko knew she probably should've stopped him just in case something fell and broke, but that was the happiest she’d seen him since he turned four and never showed any signs of a quirk.**

**While her son celebrated his newfound quirk, she went back to work on dinner- at some point, Izuku had rushed upstairs and put on an All Might onesie. Inko would occasionally laugh at her son’s accurate impressions of the Number One Hero.**

**Once dinner was set, and mother and son sat down, Inko took a deep breath, gathering all of her courage. She knew bringing it up and discussing it with her son will make him quite unhappy, but it needs to be done.**

**“Izuku?”**

**“Hm?” he paused, looking up at his mother in curiosity.**

**“You know how I told you that your father had to live overseas?”**

**He nodded,” It was because of his quirk right?”**

**“Mhm” she continued, taking another deep breath ” I never told you the details, just that it was because his quirk was important. Sweetheart, the main reason why he moved so far away was to escape. People with power saw he had a useful quirk to society and wanted to make him a public face.”**

**Izuku tilted his head, ”But, isn't that a good thing? People will see him and be happy, kinda like All Might, except he saves people in his own way.”**

**“Well, yes and no. What do you notice about the heroes that are in the top ranks? People want to know more about them, and this includes their personal lives. If people know enough about you, it could endanger yourself as well as your family. Your father didn't want that, so he moved somewhere far, a place those people with power couldn't completely control him. ”**

**“So papa moved to America to protect us?”**

**“Yep. He used to keep his quirk a secret from the public, traveling from specific clinics and hospitals, using his quirk to save so many lives. And I know you're going to be an amazing hero that could save lives like your father-”**

**“Or All Might” he piped in.**

**She smiled, chuckling a bit, ”Or like All Might. However, I need you to copy what your father did.”**

**“Wait, you want me to hide my quirk?”**

**“Unfortunately yes- Just till you go to UA. Please understand this is only to protect you. ”**

**As she predicted, he was not very pleased with this.**

**“In the meantime, because your father's quirk was so similar to a certain heroine’s, you might get to have special training at UA a** **_bit_ ** **early. How does that sound?”**

**“You mean I get to meet The Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl??”**

**“Maybe. She** **_did_ ** **mentor Hisashi a bit before he moved abroad, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind. However, in the end, it all depends on what she decides- Alright?”**

**He nodded enthusiastically, almost vibrating in his seat from excitement. Inko was glad he understood, but honestly, that wasn’t her only reasoning. Inko knew her son mostly took after his father, but that would mean he might inherit Hisashi’s outbursts- and that was something she would rather not go through again. Luckily, it had been years since he had one after getting anger management, but he was a grown man who knew the dangers of his outbursts, not a child who just discovered that they had a quirk…**

“As third-year students, it's time to start considering your futures. Though, while I'm certain all of you will be aiming for the top, to _some_ of you, please be _realistic_ about your options. Because let's be honest here, getting your hopes too high where you can't reach, will only end in _disaster_.”

Mocking laughter filled the room, but the boy in question wouldn't know- he’s too busy to notice. The only quirkless kid in Alera Junior High, Izuku Midoriya, was zoned out, writing in his notebook about the hero attack he’d seen that morning. Kamui Woods had been fighting a Giant Villain, about to use one of his ultimate moves, until a new Debuting heroine, -who had been self-dubbed Mount Lady- jumped in out of nowhere and defeated the villain. Not to mention how she didn't even try to hide the fact that she loved getting attention from the press. Speaking of which,...

_Her quirk is gigantification, and she's definitely got the looks and attitude to be a crowd favorite. Her power is very showy but it would be kinda hard to get around the city without damaging any property so that means she won't be very useful for some fights and/or missions._

“... But who am I kidding, you're all aiming for the hero track!”

While everyone else cheered and showed off their _talents,_ Izuku rolled his eyes, knowing _at least_ half of Aldera’s third years wouldn't make it to be Heroes- they'd fall before their career could even start. If they want to be a hero, they can’t be narcissistic psychopaths who torture innocent people just because they have more power- sure, Endeavor is a stoic prick, but he still does his job right. Besides, if they did manage to do it, they’d ruin the image of heroes being “A symbol that protects”, turning that faith and trust into loathing and hostility.

” Yes, yes- You all have wonderful quirks, but no power usage in school.”

“Oi, Teach, don't lump me in with these rejects. I'm the real deal while these weaklings would be lucky to even end up as sidekicks for some crappy D-lister...”

_Kamui is weak to fire, but how do the other elements affect him? Would water make him stronger, or not affect him at all? Though it's only his quirk, does Kamui need more sunlight than most people? How far out can his branches grow? Does he wear a mask or is that his actual face?_

“Oh yeah, Midoriya, didn't you apply to UA as well?” _Ah, shit._

“Deku?!?!”

He should’ve dodged when Bakugo turned around and blew up his desk, but knowing each other since they were in elementary school, he knew for a fact that the blond would take it as a challenge. So instead, he let it happen, always hating the splitting pain that would come after he was blown against the back wall; a giant migraine already kicking in from the assumed slight concussion. 

“You of all people would die in the exams! You’re worse than all these other hero wannabes. Don't even _begin_ to think that you could be with the best of the best, or I’ll fucking _kill_ you. And besides, you actually think they'd let a quirkless loser in when they could have me??”

Izuku knew to stay quiet- after all, he's been through this before. It’s best to let Bakugo say what he needs to say and hope he doesn't feel like hitting something that day. Izuku had long before grasped the concept of just letting the explosive blond rant as he pleased (things weren't as bad if he did), and then immediately _leave_ once he was done. The fewer the injuries, the fewer bottles he had to use.

“This school’s already shitty as it is, do you really want to embarrass it even more? Give up that fucking fantasy already ya damn nerd.” 

_One more year. Just one more until I can get out of this hell hole._

“That's enough Bakugo, you can continue this after class.”

Yep _, same as always…_

Along with his vision fading in and out, his head was _pounding_ ; And it only got worse by the minute. Too caught up with his migraine, Izuku didn’t notice class was over until he felt a fist connecting to his ribs. And because he just _loved_ using his quirk, Izuku was blown over several desks, straight to the side-wall with windows. Midoriya knew he had at least fractured a rib or so, making it painful to breathe. But he was also well aware that his childhood bully wasn't done. Since the teacher had already left as well as the whole class besides his lackeys, the blond had free rein to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about his permanent record. 

Before he could recover from being blown to a wall, his throat was mercilessly seized as his head got slammed into the hard surface _again._ This only made his migraine bigger, and with how tight Bakugo's grip was, there was sure to be a hand-shaped bruise soon, maybe even a burn, but who knows. 

Izuku should know that this kind of treatment is never going to cease until he goes to UA, but honestly, being shoved into walls, and tripped -hell, even pushed down the stairs once or twice a week- was getting old. Every day being filled with insults, mocking expressions, and pain; lots of it. The only time of peace he had in school was during lunch, where he snuck into one of the bathrooms and fixed himself up with a tear vial. They were normally small, and only held so much of the healing substance, but it got the job done nevertheless.

“Let this be a lesson _Deku._ If you-”

“Hey Bakugou.” one of his lackeys piped in.

He turned his head around while his grip on Izuku’s throat got tighter, his quirk starting to set off, “What the hell did I tell you extras about interrupting me?!?!”

“Look,” he said with a sly smile, holding up a notebook that was labeled _"Analysis Book for the Future#13"._

Midoriya was suddenly dropped as Kastuki’s attention was focused elsewhere. 

“Ugh, seriously, Nerd?” he said, snatching the notebook from them and looking at it with disgust, ”You're still making these weird-ass stalker notes on every fucking quirk you see?”

Looking down, Izuku muttered, “I-it's ju-st a hobby…”

“No- what it is, is creepy as _hell_ ” Bakugo snarked, putting one hand on the front and back of the notebook, blowing it up. 

If he had just scorched it, Midoriya would have been able to still use it or at least copy the notes onto a new one, but as his luck ran, the blond completely disintegrated it with his quirk. All that was left of the notebook was a few burnt pieces here and there, floating onto the floor. 

_That was weeks worth of work- and it's all gone. I know I shouldn't care about it so much, but to see all that time and effort go up in flames..._

“Like I was saying- If I find out you're actually trying for UA the day of the exam, I'll kill you on sight. Got it ya fucking creep?”

He nodded, not trusting his voice. 

“Good” Bakugo said, cracking his knuckles, ”But we’re still not done here. Even after all the times I warned you... What do you do as soon as the chance pops up? Go behind my back, and do the exact shit I said _not_ to do. So, this'll be a lesson and a reminder to _listen_ to orders next time.” 

He looked to his lackeys with a certain glint in his eyes, “Hey extras. You know what to do so get your asses over here and hold him still.”

They both chimed in, ”Yes, boss!”

Each one took a side, grabbing under his arms and holding him up. Immediately, one punch went to his stomach, causing his body to bend over in reflex. Two hands held his head in place and a knee came after, landing directly in the middle of his nose and breaking it with a _crack_. Dark crimson liquid soon dripped onto the floor while the same knee slammed into his ribs, chest, and stomach repeatedly. 

Tears and cries of pain threatened to escape, but Midoriya stopped himself as much as he could. He knew several of the blows to his ribs definitely cracked them more than they already were and it felt like he was being stabbed every time he tried to breathe. 

Before the assault finally ceased, Bakugo sent a hard punch to Deku’s gut, but opened his hand, sending a direct explosion afterward. Izuku couldn't stop it when his body lurched, spewing blood from his mouth. Thin and thick drops of blood splattered on the floor, painting it in a metallic red.

It had only been a few minutes, but it had felt like hours since the boy on the floor covered in bruises and his own blood, was first attacked by the blond. However, as they went to leave, Katsuki stopped and turned to Izuku. 

“Y’know, now that I think about it, if you _really_ want to be a hero that _badly_ , there is another way,” he said in a calm tone.

Izuku’s head was pounding, while his vision and mind were foggy, but it didn't take much anyway to hear and process the blond’s next words.

“Just take a swan-dive off the roof and hope you get a quirk in your next life.” 

His lackeys seemed to double over in laughter, only feeding into Katsuki’s pride even more.

Before Deku could _think_ to reply, they had already left- leaving the boy to lay in agony with labored breathing. At times like this, he was glad his quirk treated his own injuries, even without a vial. Sure, it was less efficient depending on the extent of the damage every day, but it still did the trick eventually. Considering he only got minimal internal damage, and a few burns as well as bruises, he honestly didn't need to nor want to use one of the three vials in his bag. Besides, forcefully crying to make sure he had enough to get by in school every week is an absolute _bitch_ by itself as is. So he would prefer to not waste any of his personal supply. At most, he’ll have to wait ten to twenty minutes tops to function decently. 

But then he remembered the time, the fact that Xy wasn't a very patient person, and he _really_ wasn't in the mood to be lectured by Recovery Girl. So, he gave it at least eight to ten minutes before getting up, grabbing his bag, and getting ready to leave. On the downside, he still couldn't make out anything in front of him that well, felt nauseous, and honestly had a hard time standing straight. However, on the upside of his situation, Izuku had memorized the route, so he could just go off of auto-pilot. Either way, it was best to stay on schedule, so he started his trudge out of school and hoped for the best…

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. Oh, the irony._

He blames the concussion for not noticing the giant shadow creeping over him sooner, but it could’ve just been because the guy was so quiet. If it hadn't been for the growing stench and when the slime guy spoke, Izuku would most likely be suffocating as the guy forced himself down his throat. Luckily, that's not the case. Instead, Midoriya was struggling to maintain a bubble around himself. The translucent-green spheres were normally able to hold up quite well, but with his current wounds and mentality, it seems like it's not going to last very long. But if he stops holding up the barrier, he'll be open for the villain to attack. Either way, he’s kinda screwed.

“Come on kid! Put this damn thing down already! Be my fleshy body-suit long enough, so I can escape! It’ll only take a few seconds, I promise!”

_Nope. Not happening dude. Also, “only a few seconds” my ass. Augh, my migraine is getting worse. Fucking ow._ **_Wow_ ** _, I should really stop hanging around Bakugou... I'm seriously starting to pick up on his language habit._

While lost in thought, and with a slight concussion, of course, Izuku failed to notice the presence of a third party. His vision was fading out from exhaustion, no matter how hard he fought it. 

Time seemed to stop as a sudden an all-too-familiar voice yelled, **”Texas Smash!!!”**

He didn't have time to dwell on the voice, or two tufts of blond hair as he was sent rolling back at high speeds from the intense wind pressure. After traveling a few good yards, the bubble decided to pop, sending Deku face-first into the pavement, finishing the job of knocking him out. 

  
  


All Might knew he shouldn’t be pushing himself and doing hero work every day, but that’s what this day’s come to. It was supposed to be a quick run to the store, take a relaxing bath, visit one of those cute cafes he always wished to try, and _maybe_ take a trip to Recovery Girl. But, here he was, surrounded by a horrid stench, attempting to find the thief that disappeared into the sewers, as earlier that day in the city, a villain seemingly made from a murky slime ran through the streets, carrying a woman's bag, and a feminine cry of distress followed.

“My purse!”

“HEY, GET BACK HERE! SOMEONE STOP THAT MONSTER!”

A group of bystanders had stood, chattering amongst themselves as they witnessed the scene. 

“Dude, where are all the heroes?”

“Yeah, it's unfortunate none are around, seriously there's no stopping these villains”

Seeing there really were no other heroes around, Toshinori Yagi knew his rest and relaxation day would have to wait. He buffed out into his hero persona, All Might, behind the clueless bystanders and calmly replied, **“Yes there is. Do you know why? Because I am here!”**

Gasps of awe and cheers echoed in his ears as he took off after the evildoer... But that was hours ago. At the moment, he’s a bit agitated- it's common sense of course as no hero would want to chase after a villain through a _city sewer._ That and because of his rather large body mass, everything felt so _cramped_. 

But, it had to be done so here he was, listening for and following any indication to where that slippery bastard went. As he strode through the sewer, Lady Luck _finally_ decided to play nice with All Might to make up for the shitty afternoon she had previously caused. It looked that way at least since the slime trail he’d been following abruptly stopped- right underneath a manhole.

Unfortunately, by the sound of it, the villain had found himself a victim if his yelling was anything to go by. He got in position to jump, bending his legs, and burst up into the air, punching the metal lid along the way, yelling, **“Fear Not, for I AM HERE!”**

Landing on the pavement, All Might noted this was one of those times where he hated being right. A boy appeared to be struggling to fend off the slime guy with a barrier of some sort. He quickly acted, powering up OFA and yelled **“TEXAS SMASH!”**

The slimy bastard didn't even have a chance to escape and ended up dispersing all over the tunnel. However, when he looked back to where the said victim previously stood, he was met with the bubble speeding down the road a few yards and then suddenly disappearing, throwing the boy in it onto the ground. All Might’s eyes widened in alarm. 

**_What did I just do?! I definitely didn't think THAT was going to happen. I just assumed the kid would stay put, not roll away!_ **

He threw his head back in frustration and grabbed his head in agitation. 

**_Gran Torino would KILL me if he knew how reckless I've become. I'll just have to quickly contain this sludge villain and then pray to whatever god is out there, that the kid’s okay._ **

All Might set to work, emptying two of the soda bottles he previously bought that morning and scooped up every bit of the slimy fiend. After securing the cap shut and putting the now villain-filled bottle in a side pant-pocket, he made his way to where the kid lay _almost_ motionless. All Might noted that the boy was only a middle schooler, and by the uniform, likely from Aldera Jr. High.

He carefully bent down, pressing two fingers on the kid's neck and wrist, making sure there was still a steady pulse, but took notice of the rather shallow breathing- that was never a good sign. 

**_Shit, is that blood coming from his head?? Damnit Yagi, you had ONE. JOB. And you failed miserably._ **

Feeling a steady enough heartbeat, he let out a breath he didn't even know he’d been holding before.

**The boy’s alive at least, but how badly did he get caught up in the crossfire? I could've sworn that thing he had around himself looked safe enough.**

**I still should've realized that didn't mean I could be careless.**

With a gentle grip, All Might picked him up, with his left arm and hand supporting the middle schooler’s back and head while his right arm and hand hooked under the teen's knees- almost in a bridal-style. After warily standing back up, he made his way over to the kid's bag, carefully hooking the strap on his index finger, and sat with the bridge wall behind himself. 

Once in a comfortable crossed-leg form, with the victim cradled in his arms and lap, he started to search for any other injuries but got cut short by the oddly small teen almost instinctively turning towards him, wrapping his equally small arms around All Might's torso and snuggling into the bodily warmth. The blond froze, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. He couldn't exactly help it, despite the blood and wounds, the kid was just too adorable!

**_He's so tiny. And so cute, like a little bunny._ **

Those thoughts were quick to be brought to an abrupt stop. Besides a constellation of freckles running across his cheeks and slightly feminine facial features, the kid carried bruises and almost fresh burns that littered his face & the upper part of his neck.

His nose was bleeding, but no other signs of it being broken present. Yagi carefully ran his hands through surprisingly soft hair, checking for any concerning bumps- there was at least one. So, a concussion was definitely present, he just didn't know how bad it was.

Looking back at the burns, All Might gently pulled his arm from under the boy’s legs and used his free hand to carefully pull down the halse of the dark uniform and slowly turned the boy’s head side-to-side. If he was expecting anything, it certainly wasn't a mixture of a burn and bruises in the shape of a _hand-_ the sight gave him the urge to recoil his hand in alarm. It didn't make any sense, that sludge villain definitely couldn't have been the one to do this, so would he have received all of these beforehand? 

**_Would this have been from a classmate or peer? But, why would they do that in the first place, and to such an extent? Whoever did this obviously had malicious intent at least similar to a villain. But that still doesn't explain why they did it in the first place._ **

The more All Might thought about it, the more infuriated he became, so he dropped the subject, working on calming himself down while he waited for the freckled boy to wake up. 

The thing is, since All Might arrived and the kid got knocked out, it should've been a good ten to twenty minutes, which was becoming more concerning. The boy should've woken up by now, unless Toshi arrived really late, causing the boy to overuse his quirk to stay protected. He definitely understood the exhaustion that came with using your quirk for too long, so he decided to give the kid just about another ten minutes before he took him to Recovery Girl, who definitely would have some questions. The blond sighed, resting his head back onto the stone wall. He didn't have much time left and should really go, but he needed to make sure the civilian was okay first.

It was the unexpected shuffling and small groan from the kid that got All Might’s attention. Though, moving his torso much probably wasn't a good idea on the kid's part as a painful whimper escaped his lips- which meant there was more damage than he thought.

“Bag.” 

It was small, and quiet, almost in a whisper, but it was audible enough for the Number One Hero to catch. A sudden and odd request, but after a moment or so, he did as asked anyway, carefully holding the yellow backpack closer than arms reach to the unnamed boy's chest. 

His eyes stayed squinted as he zipped it open with trembling hands, and began fumbling around in search of something. All Might noted how he appeared almost half asleep, completely unaware of anything else around him. He stopped and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a liquid that was either water or just looked like water. It took him a second of struggling to pop the cork off before he lifted it to his lips and drank the whole thing in large gulps. 

It only took an instant before the bruises, burns, blood, and scrapes from before faded until they completely disappeared, nothing to show they were there in the first place. To say All Might was astounded would be an understatement, though confused could go on the list as well. Something about that was familiar, like he’s seen it before, but where or even when? 

**_Is this also the kid's quirk, or someone else's? If that is a part of his quirk, what are the chances he's already met Chiyo? Even with most of the population having powers, healing quirks are still quite rare so it's definitely a possibility._ **

A content sigh broke him out of his thoughts, putting his attention back on the boy. More freckles that had been hidden before started to show, and thin lips were curved into a smile. He stretched as a cat would before deep emerald eyes looked around, turning his head and examining his surroundings. They eventually landed right at All Might's bicep, going up to his chest, and to his face, only taking a second to put two-and-two together- a once happy face becoming panicked and flustered.

  
  
  
  


_I don't remember falling asleep….how did I escape and get back home much less? The last thing I recall is being rolled away and... falling on my face- now that's just embarrassing. I didn't even get to see who saved me or get an autograph. Damnit._

While consciousness slowly returned to Izuku, so did the pain, but it hit him all at once like a freight train. Causing a small groan to escape his lips before he could stop it. Everything hurt, from the massive migraine and small burns to the cracked ribs. 

_I should've stayed asleep._

Through the discomfort, he could feel that his arms were wrapped around something warm and comfy, but firm. Kind of odd, but he wasn't complaining- he preferred warm over cold anyway. It was only natural since Izuku got a cold sensitivity from his mother, which for some reason, made him more tired than usual in primarily cold places. He supposes that's just what happens when your body and the cold don't mix that well.

Deku tried opening his eyes but quickly resorted to squinting since he was still pretty sensitive to light, meaning it was still bright outside, so he couldn't have been out for too long. Everything was still a bit disorientated, but he could still make out some stuff, like the road, trees, and houses... _So I am_ **_not_ ** _at home. Well shit._

Seeing a glimpse of yellow and a shape that could only be his bag, he tried moving to get it, but immediately regretted it as shifting only made the pain worse. In response, he couldn't help but whimper. _Why does it_ **_still_ ** _feel like I got ran over by a semi?? Ow. Damnit, I really didn't want to use one of my vials today, but I guess it can't be helped. How am I supposed to get them if they're still in my…_

“Bag.”

It took him another good minute to realize whatever warm and comfortable surface his head was somehow leaning on, had a heartbeat. So a person, _Great._ Which means it's likely whoever saved him is cradling him and he is shamelessly cuddling into them.

_Fuck._

Welp, considering he's in pain, he couldn't care all that much, and they can move him if they have a problem with it- if not, Deku will relish in and take advantage of this hero’s body heat as much as he wants. Not like he’ll ever have to meet or see the individual again. Might be for the best anyway, it'll save them both or just him, the embarrassment.

The hero took a minute before Deku heard the sound of zippers softly jingling, meaning his bag was in front of him. But he couldn't feel that much of its original weight- like they were trying to hold it instead of putting the weight on him so as not to further disturb any injuries, how considerate. Being partially sat up earlier helped, so that's a plus.

He unzipped the largest pocket, reaching in with shaky hands and felt around until his fingers grazed what he needed. Izuku took out one of his vials, taking off the cork, but not without difficulty, and drank the whole thing as quickly as he could. The faster it gets to his system, the faster the pain will go away. Luckily, even though it's literal tears that he has to use, it's not salty at all, but rather sweet.

It was still something he could never understand why to this day, but he would rather drink something that tasted like honey than the ocean. Besides the convenient palate, his quirk worked differently to Recovery Girl’s since it never took the stamina of an individual. Which is something he's grateful for in situations like this, feeling so much better, no blurry vision or light sensitivity, and all the previous pain gone right after using one of the bottles. 

After taking a quick stretch, Izuku realized that he probably shouldn’t have looked up to see who his savior was since, out of embarrassment his response was flight-or-freeze. He was being cradled by _All Might_ , the number one hero and the man whose presence _alone_ warded off villains. On instinct, he panicked, of course, causing himself to flail out of the gentle embrace, fall on his face -again- and crack the empty bottle. All Might reached out to catch him, but missed. 

Now in slight pain, and filled with nerves, Deku cut embarrassment #4 short by sitting up as humanly possible, facing the blond hero.

_Oh, sweet mercy. I get to meet All Might face to face and have made a complete fool of myself so many times. Like dad sometimes said, first impressions count, but I've screwed that up. Wait, No. Focus. You're supposed to say something and not just stare at the guy._

Getting up and bowing in apology, he gathered all of the courage he had and said, ”A-All Might! I’m s-o sorry, I didn't me-an for that to happen” pausing to lower his voice to a mumble, ”It’s a bad habit.”

**_He looks like a scared little kit. Quite adorable really- wait. No. Task at hand. Why is he apologizing to me anyway? I'm supposed to be the responsible and licensed hero here AVOIDING knocking out civilians. Oh, the irony; If Gran saw me now, he would surely have my head._ **

A deep, lighthearted chuckle resonated through the startling Midoriya. He straightened back up, tilting his head in confusion, “Er, did I say something funny, All Might?”

The blond put on his signature smile before responding, **”Not at all young man, it's just that I should be the one apologizing”**

**_Don't sound like a douche. Don't sound like a douche. Don't sound like a douche_ **

**“I didn't mean for you to get caught up in my justice-ing. Usually, I pay more attention to keeping bystanders safe, but this city's sewer system is pretty difficult to Navigate…” he said, finishing off with a boisterous laugh.**

**_Oh yeah, let's go for sounding like an idiot instead._ **

Midoriya didn't know what to do; It really was his fault, he was in the way and simply paid the price for it, but here the number one hero was, apologizing to him. _Wait- No, you're supposed to be responding to All Might, not having an internal argument with yourself._

“I-Er, H-how abo-ut we just call it a mutual fault? I should've be-en more careful walk-ing home a-anyway.”

After a minute, the hero sighed while a hint of relief washed over his face, **”If that is what it takes for your forgiveness, then I’ll accept. Though, if I may ask, what is your name, my boy?”**

He was slightly caught off guard, but shook it off and replied, ”Izuku Midoriya, sir.”

**_Izuku Midoriya….why does that sound familiar?_ **

**“Well, young Midoriya, are you okay? You took quite the tumble there; any injuries I should take you to the hospital for?**

_Ah shit. Please tell me he didn't see Katsuki’s handprint. If anyone finds out he did that- and actually cared about it of course- his permanent record will be_ **_ruined_ ** _and I’ll be the only one to blame...Wait a minute, did he say hospital? Oh, for the love of-._

Izuku finally remembered why he took a different route and just where he was expected that day; with Recovery Girl. He had completely forgotten about it until All Might said something, and decided to facepalm after he realized his mistake.

_Oy vey_

**“Young man?”**

He dragged his hand down his face in irritation and sighed, **“** Ah, right. No, Sir- my quirk fixed everything up anyway, so no hospital will be needed. While it's been fantastic you meeting-er I mean meeting you -really it has-, but I need to go before I’m late and Recovery Girl gives me another lecture; Though, you probably have somewhere else more important to be anyway since you’re a hero and I'mramblingagainsorry.” 

Poor kid seemed so nervous- definitely different from other fans. While yes, there were the odd few that were quite anxious when meeting him in person, but most fans were quite bold. It was flattering, yet a bit troublesome. Usually, the main struggles with braver fans lie with those that are maybe _too_ bold for his liking. Like the time when he lost a shoe and his tie during one of his scheduled meet-and-greets. Honestly, All Might can't even begin to keep count on how many personal items he's lost as his hero persona. Fortunately, they were all smaller items that weren’t of too much importance. 

But no matter, that's all in the past.

Instead, he's faced with a small, very shy, and truly adorable kid with the cutest little doe eyes who is meeting up with... Recovery Girl.

**_That means she already knows about him; Forgive me young Midoriya, for I could not protect you from her wrath! I can only hope she is more lenient with you._ **

All Might chuckled again, **“It's quite alright my boy; I do know Miss Chiyo actually. I was planning to visit her sometime today, anyway. We could both go see her right now, if you'd like. At least, right after I drop this guy off at the station-”**

Izuku got lost in thought, debating with himself as he weighed out his options. One one hand, if he lets All Might take him to Recovery Girl, that's more time he has to spend with his idol. However, that's more time he has to embarrass himself further. 

_Ya know what. Screw it. This is a once in a lifetime chance, might as well make it last._

After he made up his mind Izuku looked back up to All Might, giving his attention fully to the man again, but noticed steam mostly rising from his shoulders, chest, and face. 

“Er, All might, sir- is that normal for you?” 

**“Wha-”**

“It's just- er, in all your battles I've seen, that's never happened before and I didn't know if that's just part of your quirk since no one actually knows much about it besides that it's some sort of strength and speed enhancer... _though that could be some sort of output since he has so much power.._ ” Izuku began rambling, oblivious to panicking blond as the cloud grew, eventually forming a cloud around the man.

**_Damn. I had been so busy talking to the kid that I couldn't even feel the strain of my time running out._ **

The thick fog surrounding All Might dissipated, leaving a tall and gaunt man. One that Midoriya would've thought he’d never see again. 

“Mr. Yagi?” 

Yagi was taken aback, to say the least. He knew that the kids’ name sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall ever actually meeting him. “I’m sorry, have we met before young Midoriya?”

“Of course sir. Granted, it was only a year after I got my quirk and we had only spoken for such a short time.” Izuku explained as he fidgeted with his hands.“You were the first person who told me to chase my dreams, that I could be a hero, but it's been years since then. Never would I have guessed that you were All Might, sir.”

It made a lot more sense now. Izuku Midoriya was the boy that had a healing quirk similar to his father's. His quirk was the only reason why he was able to get his arm fixed since he had broken it during a fight, and didn't have enough stamina for Chiyo's quirk to completely work. So instead, they had used the child's abilities- well, more like Chiyo doused a cloth in the clear essence and swiped it over where the fracture was, saying, “That's for me to know, and you to find out” when he asked who the source was. It was simply just out of curiosity, but Chiyo wasn't going to tell him either way...

Toshinori only found out it was the boy’s power after accidentally running into him and his mother during one of his appointments with Chiyo later on. Though, right before they left, Midoriya had asked him about being a hero, even with a quirk like his. When he answered, the look of pure, unfiltered joy and hope gleamed into a single innocent smile. “Ah, yes. I guess it has been quite some time since that day. It's nice to see you again my boy.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “About the whole All Might thing, no one except a select few associates of mine is supposed to know. If it got out that the Number 1 hero looked like this most of the time… well, there's no guaranteeing what would happen, but it certainly couldn’t be good.” 

Izuku slightly tilted his head as a confused expression settled on his face, “Oh. Um, I'm still a bit confused sir. Not to be rude, but I don't see the big deal if you look like that...” he gestured. ”Would it endanger you in some way? I mean, I don't know much about your quirk; well, no one does really for that matter, but I've seen a few transformation quirks that have more or less the same effect.”

Toshinori sat back against the cool stone wall, lifting the plain, white and baggy shirt just enough to reveal a large, brutal scar covering a little less than half of his torso; the jagged petals branching from a dent. “ _This_ is the problem, my boy.” 

  
  


It was clear that the story behind it couldn’t have been nothing less of a brutal and hard-fought battle. Izuku winced, knowing he couldn't even _begin_ to imagine the tremendous pain that the man would’ve gone through after receiving such an injury. 

“Pretty gross, right? I got this in a fight 5 years back; though, it was never made public as half of my respiratory system was basically destroyed and I lost my whole stomach. Right now, I'm limited to around 3 hours of hero work a day. I've been worn thin from all the repeated surgeries and after-effects.”

_5 years ago, huh.…wait, was that with Toxic Chainsaw? No, that fight was literally put on the news for everyone to see, and he looked fine afterward. Besides, Sensei said when I had found him, it was just about right after he and All Might had battled. Not to mention the fact he_ **_did_ ** _say he had to weaken All Might_ **_somehow_ ** _so he could get away. His story and All Mights' information pretty much line up._

_Well, I healed Sensei just fine, and his face was basically gone._

Making up his mind, Izuku asked, “What if there was a way to fix it?”

Yagi shook his head,” It's a nice thought my boy, but not even Recovery Girl herself could fix it.”

“What if I can help? You've seen what my quirk can do, it's grown since then. Plus, I still have two extra vials left in my bag- just one should do the trick actually.”

The man was quiet, contemplating his options. 

_It certainly couldn't hurt to try...the boy definitely is a miracle worker, but would it be enough to give back the strength I lost because of_ **_him_ ** _?_

_Only one way to find out I suppose._

Hesitant, he responded “Simply testing your theory couldn't hurt. So, sure.” 

Izuku grinned, not hesitating to retrieve the bottles and handed Yagi the larger bottle of the two. 

  
  


Out of curiosity, Toshinori voiced, “Of course, if you don't wish to answer if you don't have to, but what exactly is this? I know it's a part of your quirk, but I never actually got to see how your abilities worked.”

“Did you ask Recovery Girl?”

“Of course, but when I asked, she never told me.”

“Well, I know it might sound a bit odd, but the liquid in that vial is my tears; it's basically just a carbon copy of my father's quirk,” he explained, still careful to not say something that would embarrass himself further. 

Toshinori hummed, jokingly muttering, ”Bottoms up I guess.” before uncorking the glass bottle and downing it in a few gulps. It was sweet? He was expecting a watery or even slightly salty palette, but no. It almost tasted like honey, which was something he could question, but won’t. 

A warm feeling quickly spread to his chest and torso; it was comforting, like receiving the best hug in the world. The next thing he noticed was a sudden feeling of hunger, his breaths were certainly deeper, and any pain he once had completely erased, and replaced with the comforting heat.

“So, do you think it worked?”

Yagi smiled, got up, and replied, ”I have a strong feeling it did because I feel fantastic!” He paused, “Though, you could say I'm feeling,” he began, buffing up into his hero form, and picking the boy up under his arms, finishing with, **“ALL MIGHT!”**

  
  


At first, Midoriya only replied with a deadpan expression, causing All Might to wonder if his joke was a failure, but it soon turned into a large smile while the sound of sweet laughter followed. It was definitely a good change of pace; usually, when he makes that pun, he may get a smile or chuckle, but the only people who genuinely laughed have been Nana, Sasaki, and now Midoriya. 

He could only hope it works at least a few more times for the boy. 

After the laughter died down enough for the petite boy to catch his breath, he replied, ”That's great Toshi-san, but we should go and see Recovery Girl to make sure.”

All might put Midoriya back down, staying in his hero form, **“Of course, though we’ll have to drop off this guy here to the station beforehand. And afterward, why don't I treat you to coffee? It's only right I thank my hero.”**

_I'm All Might's hero and I get coffee?... Hell yeah!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.com/channels/710228356624416909/723042784482689136  
> OR https://discord.gg/NsNvhWm (invite code is NsNvhWm)  
> I didn't realize how long it would take me to rewrite this chapter so I've just decided to only work on the rewrites when I have extra free time. Chapter 7 hopefully shouldn't take that long, but with how busy I've been with school...I'd say it'll probably be done in 2 weeks to a month.


	2. Basically The Pilot Episode Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new face, mischief, and lets not forget more confusion for Yagi to the mix!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To avoid any misunderstandings, if its someone else calling Izuku specific nicknames, I will make it obvious if and when its sexual...You'll see what I mean.
> 
> For now, I wanna keep it fluffy.

Izuku couldn't be more ecstatic, embarrassed, and yet, somehow, terrified at once as he is now. When he agreed(quite enthusiastically might I add, because come on, who wouldn't- if it meant hanging out with your idol while getting free coffee), they quickly headed over to the station and dropped off the sludge villain.

The walk there seemed peaceful enough, both just listened to the sounds of the city.   
But as the old saying goes, there's calm before the storm. In Izuku's case, this is very true.

As soon as they both stepped foot outside the building, All Might, still in his hero form, held up Izuku in a bridal style, ensuring a more secure hold and took off. As in, he jumped, high- towards the glorious campus of UA.

Unfortunately, Izuku has a fear of heights, and the current view he has of the city isn't helping any. In this moment of fear, he failed to notice his grip on the muscular blond getting tighter.

The butterflies in his stomach quickly became too much, and he buried his face in the crook of All Might’s neck. He knew there would be regret later, but as of now, he let the calming scent of cinnamon and oak steadily ease his anxiety.

Toshinori did, in fact, notice how the petite boy reacted to heights, but didn’t want to cause any further distress, so he stayed quiet. That alone was hard to do, he wanted to comfort Izuku so badly. 

However, the moment the boy hid in the crook of Toshi's neck, a large blush accompanied his own face. To make matters worse(or better), he could feel the nervous breaths on his skin; which in turn sent shivers down his spine.

Luckily, that anxious breathing became calmer and more normal after a little while. All Might felt just the slightest bit of pride to know he technically made that happen- he was like a buck comforting its doe.   
  
Between the 6 minutes these small occurrences happened, he spotted the premises of UA getting closer. Briskly landing on a random building, he leapt off, aiming for the school’s roof to avoid any unwanted attention.

* * *

“Yagi-san, sir, couldn't we have j-ust gone through the gates? I-i understand you m-ight want to avoid as much attention as possible, b-ut last time I tried entering the school from the roof…let's just say Shuzenji-san wa-sn't very happy about it” Izuku tried to voice. He was still shaken up after they landed. That, and Recovery Girl’s lectures were not something to be taken lightly. For such a small woman, she was quite terrifying.

**“Since her office is on the top floor, I thought going in from the roof would be the quickest way... And young Midoriya, what do you mean by last time? Your quirk is healing right? How did you get up here the first time?”**

Crap. Izuku didn't even realize he made it obvious he's gone through the top door before. Technically, it wasn't even his fault. Might as well stall from having to tell that troublesome story...embarrassment #5(?) can wait.

* * *

“I'll tell you about that over coffee if that's alright. But we should head inside and hope Shuzenji-san isn’t too upset about our tardiness” he said, trying to redirect the conversation. All Might nodded, letting it slide.   
Right as they opened the door to RG’s office, both were greeted with  
“Where in the heavens have you been Izuku?? You know to get here by 4:30, maybe 5 at the latest every Friday.” She looked over at All Might, assessing the situation. ”But I see the blonde rabbit is with you, so I'm sure there's a good excuse.”

**Blonde rabbit?...**

“Y-you see, I was heading home a-and got attacked by this sludge villain. Since I had already been injured earlier, I couldn't really think straight and was struggling to keep up one of my bubbles. Thankfully, Ya- err, All Might showed up just in time and defeated the villain-I kinda got rolled away in the process and broke my nose...and passed out. But after I woke up, I used one of my spare bottles so I'm good as new” Izuku rambled, trying to explain, but merely got a raised eyebrow in return.

“That, and I kinda accidentally found out about All Might's injury. So I sort of gave him one of my spares that was left from today and we think I may have fixed it. The scar might be still there, so I'm not sure if it fully worked or not, _pleasedontbemadIwontbelateagain_ …” he briskly finished, bowing in apology.

Chiyo sighed, she knew the two would eventually meet again. She had actually been considering using Izuku's quirk as a last resort- one more try at healing All Might. But it seems the boy already took care of things. All she needed to do now is get a scan on the blonde idiot to see if his quirk was effective.

“First of all, didn't I tell you to be more careful at school? Those _accidents_ you keep getting into are becoming worse. Seriously, from what you just told me, this has been the third concussion this week, boy.”

Deku looked down, fidgeting with his hands.

“Second of all, I'm not entirely surprised you found out about Toshinori’s problem. It was going to happen sooner or later- whether it had been accidental or not, since this blonde idjit doesn't know how to take a break and usually ends up straining himself.”

Toshinori followed Midoriya’s lead, fidgeting with his hands and lowering his head.

“Third, I'm going to assume my protégé only found out because you ran out of time, and after you drank one of those vials, were able to transform again. So here's my question; do you feel any strain at all from being in that form right now?”

He took a minute, trying to detect any dull ache or strain...none. He only had that pleasant warmth still lingering from before. 

**“No, none at all”** he remarked. 

“That's good. But, before we get our hopes up, I'm going to give you a CAT scan just in case. Izuku, dearie, can you step out for just a few minutes? I'll call you back in as soon as I'm done. Okay?”

He nodded, ”Yes ma’am” and went out of the office.

Chiyo turned to All Might again, “ You know the drill Toshi.”   
**“Yeah, yeah. I know.”** He reverted back to his now healthier-looking civilian form, went into a side room, and laid on the examination bed.

The CAT scan machine Chiyo had in this side room looked smaller than one you might find in a hospital, but it had been specially built to adjust its shape and size for each patient she might need to use it on. And because Toshinori is the 7’2 giant he is, it's a normal thing for the bed to be in its longer form on a daily basis. 

Another convenient thing about Recovery Girl’s machine is, instead of having to wait on results, she's able to receive them on her computer almost immediately after every scan.

* * *

**With Izuku…**

He had been sitting on the opposite wall, facing the door, waiting. He was at least 85% sure he was successful, but you never know. Sure, he had healed Sensei, but that was only hours, maybe a day, after he had been hurt. Yagi’s wound was years old, so there's always the possibility it didn't actually fix much. 

Knees to his chest, head resting on his arms, the quiet hallways couldn’t distract Izuku. He was left to remember each and every awkward situation prior. He _cuddled_ into _All Might_ right after face planting into the ground, _twice_. If that isn't embarrassing as is, he had been cradled twice too. Just thinking about embarrassing himself in front of his idol, and maybe his crush, had him flustered once more.

As a kid, Izuku naturally looked up to him, but as he got older it developed into more than just admiration. Plenty of individuals had a crush on All Might, so he never really paid it any mind. However, today's...events were not something he could just forget. 

_Why does it always seem like I have the worst luck in history?_

“-riya.”

“Izuku!”

Chiyo stood in the doorway, with one hand on her hip.   
“You can come back. We were just about to discuss the results.”

Once both males stood about side-by-side, she turned a large screen over, showing the pictures the scan picked up. ”I assumed that his quirk would at most give you more time, asit already did. But, to completely have everything good as new...I didn't think it was very likely.”

Toshinori can't believe it. All his organs were back, and completely mended. He could live normally again! Still in his skinny-ish form and excited, he couldn't help but hug Izuku and spin around in joy; and let out a hearty laugh. “I don't think I could ever show you how much this means to me, my boy! Thank you.” His usual, somber frown stretched into a genuine smile. He put the once more flustered greenette down.

Recovery Girl wasn't done.

“However, Toshinori?”

“Yes?”

“I hate to cut the moment short, but you cannot tell anyone about Midoriya’s quirk. This accidental demonstration proved my point that I had been worried about from the start.”

“Now Izuku, I'm not saying what happened was a bad thing, but you especially should know to not go around letting people know. If it were to get out that your quirk worked to that extent, I fear you would end up in a worse situation than he did when the public found out about his quirk. Which is exactly why I ask for an occasional small stock of those bottles and _only_ use them when absolutely necessary.” 

“I understand, but I'm a little lost here. Young Midoriya, is this the same unknown reason why you said you have to act quirkless? And exactly who was she talking about, does someone have a similar quirk to yours?”

Before Izuku could respond, Shuzenji beat him to it. ”Yes to both of those questions. To answer your other one, Izuku has a stronger version of his father's quirk. Things have calmed down, but when people first found out what Hisashi’s quirk did, everything was so chaotic. The only way to solve anything was if he worked for the Hero Public Safety Commission, and quit his original profession to become a doctor.”

He thought for a moment. ”Alright...But what about that other quirk of his?”

This time, she let Deku answer. ”That's my mother's quirk. I have healing from my father, but holograms...” he said, not quite sure what to call it,”...from her. Though I'm able to make solid shields and bubbles, everything else I make is just a simple figment of light.” He demonstrated with a small, green and translucent figure in his left hand. He used his right hand to make it “dance” but waved it away after finishing.

Chiyo looked at the clock on the far wall, it read 6:05pm.  
“It's getting late, so that'll be all for today dearie. But next time you're not on time, I won't be so forgiving. And All Might, just because you’re fixed doesn't mean you can't take a day off. You’re still human, so don't overwork yourself. "

* * *

Both bid their goodbyes and left, this time through the front gates. All Might took the lead while Izuku happily followed. ”So, exactly where are we going, Yagi-san?” he asked out of curiosity. The blonde looked down to meet vibrant green eyes looking up.

”I thought we could go to this cute little café I had always passed during patrol. I never got to truly go inside, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind trying it together. It's a little over an hour from here by train.”

“Sure, I don't mind..” Izuku continued, with an idea in mind. Not planned out and he couldn't entirely be sure on how things will go, but XY was probably bored out of his mind; And he knew by now, coffee was the usual key to getting a quick favor.

It's a win-win for both parties, Coffee and entertainment in exchange for fun travel. “Though, instead of using the train, sir... I think I might know a quicker way.”

_Is he asking me to carry him there? I'm not complaining if it's my-err the kit asking, but I thought he was afraid of heights._

“That is, if you don’t mind if a friend of mine tags along. Coffee is his favorite thing in the world, and honestly, it's the best way to convince him to do any favors.”

All Might had to think it over, he wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of it not just being the two hanging out. But he quickly shook that feeling away, there was no reason to be upset. So why did the feeling of inconvenience linger in his mind?

“Sure, I don't see why not.”

Midoriya pulled out his phone and briskly texted someone, then put it back in his pants pocket. ”Sorry, I also had to let my mother know I won't be home until later.” Yagi nodded. _Smooth Deku. Now I don't have to worry about the chance of him asking about that. All I gotta do now is make sure Xy doesn't **fucking bulldoze** Yagi-san. I look like a complete dork from earlier as it is._

“However, I strongly recommend you take a step to your left…” Izuku insisted, as they both stopped, with him on Toshi’s right side.

He did just that, but puzzled at the suggestion. Midoriya didn't continue or explain, but held up three fingers with an expectant look, and slowly let down each finger mumbling ”3...2...1.. And”

Right as he finished, a glowing white portal opened up about a yard in front of the two, but faced Midoriya. As quick as it opened something large jumped out of it, a snowy white feline creature with almost rabbit-like ears. Yagi became panicked, just about to move to his aid.

Until, Izuku spoke again. “Ughh. Z, Get. OFF. You weigh like a ton, and are pressing on my ribs.” Well, _tried_ to speak. It was more wheezed out than anything. Quite understandable if you were a 15 year old child with a giant 220lb beast putting at least half of its weight down.

It acknowledged what was said and stepped off the boy, then shifted into its humanoid form. 

Toshi could only watch in shock and wonder. Teleportation quirks were quite rare in itself, but to have the ability to shapeshift as well was astounding! 

Where the beast had been, sat a 5’7 teen with long and fluffy raven hair loosely pulled into a ponytail, and eyes devoid of anything besides an inky black. He wore a blue sleeveless hoodie(Izuku could never see the point of those, even when he gave an entire speech about it once), black skinny jeans and darker blue flat converse. Of a gentle, pale tone like Izuku, his skin was completely colorless; almost like a bleached white.

_Maybe this is a cousin or sibling of a sort of Izuku?_

Speaking of whom, he is still on the ground trying to recover from almost being crushed. Yagi got to his side and carefully helped him sit up. The ‘friend’ sat with a smug look accompanying his face while Izuku glared back at him.

Z, as a person….was very odd. He mothered Izuku, yet somehow was very irresponsible; and sometimes had an aggressive or reckless way of doing things while making sure no one got hurt in the process, especially his Bunny Boi Midoriya. Unpredictable, hypocritical, and occasionally super _extra_ , would be his answer if he was ever asked to describe XY .

On top of being extra every time he uses his quirk, the current situation only gives him a more smug expression. 

No, he did not know Yagi was All Might. But he _did_ know that Izuku had a specific admiration for both blondes. His _admiration_ towards Toshinori was more personal. He was the first not-douche, to actually _encourage_ Bunny to chase his dreams. Since he was told that memorable lil story, the skinny legend was a gentleman(or a **simp** , as he liked to call them) in his book. 

All Might, on the other hand, it was _straight_ up a crush, partially built on the fanboy-like worship. But hey, he wasn't gonna judge. If his emotional bunny boi liked tall, blonde, blue-eyed and sometimes _thicc_ dudes, Z would ship it. 

He knew he could be an ass and over dramatic sometimes, but he had good intentions. He knew that when Izuku thought into something too much and had another outburst, it would only trigger one of his episodes. They were not often, and the episode itself was never dangerous, but the outbursts were always a bit...destructive. It did no one any good, especially the house- several windows, and a few walls have had to be fixed multiple times. Yeesh. 

The point is, Z’s tired of having to deal with Bunny fawning over the two blondes. 

When it comes to him enjoying hobbies that aren't “appropriate” for guys, like dressing in feminine clothes and wearing just the right amount of makeup, he _rocks_ it. But the kid can't handle the subject of love for shit, which is why he will be an “asshole” for the time being. 

His chosen entertainment today will be a _much_ needed slight push for Bunny. If a buck won't come to Izuku, then he will bring IT to his bunny.

It's completely to almost impossible that Bunny will get with All Might. Seriously, the guy saves the day and just takes off afterward. However, Yagi-san is back so by god Z will play matchmaker long enough. The simp has already set himself in a trap, and this feline ain’t letting him go anytime soon. 

Furthermore, this brings us to present circumstances…

Toshinori being too attentive with Izuku failed to see the way XY’s lips pulled into a frown, looking at him in thought. Eyes widening, but his expression soon went back to being smug. Both of Yagi’s large hands supported Midoriya while he got up. “Young Midoriya, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.”

He looked at the blonde, with a more mischievous expression. “Before we go, I'm going to borrow shortstack for a quick 5-10 minutes. Alright? Just stay here, and we will be _right_ back.”

Today was just full of new surprises and confusion, wasn't it? He nodded, giving a small, unsure wave as they went through the portal, which still hasn't closed even after they left. 

He sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, checking his phone for any missed notifications.  
**3 Missed texts from Nezu**  
**1 Missed text from Rg**  
**7 Missed texts from Sasaki**  
**2 Missed texts from Aizawa**  
Oh boy….

* * *

He couldn't even comprehend what was happening before he got dragged upstairs to his (a little too spacious) bedroom. From there, XY brought him in the walk in closet, scanning multiple outfits. “Dude, what are you doing?? Why did we just leave Yagi-san there like that with _zero other_ explanation?” Izuku questioned, but got brushed off.

”No,...no,...no...no..ah-ha! Perfect! _I_ am finding _you_ a better and more fitting outfit for your little date with _Yagi-san_ , than that silly school uniform.”

His freckled cheeks burned up. “F-for one, i-ts not a d-ate...For two, why w-would you th-ink I like him like that? W-e literally met when I w-as five Z, and only I t-talked to him for a f-ew minutes.”

Deku came up with a reasonable excuse on the spot. He had only asked XY for the favor (with the promise of coffee) and summarized the situation when texting him. It had become a habit over the years. Besides, it was close to the truth anyway. “Yagi-san just wanted t-to thank me for fixing his a-rm since he couldn't before.”

XY still wasn't listening and shoved a pair of jean shorts, red converse, and an All Might hoodie into his arms.

_Here goes humiliation #6 . If only that feline knew just how ironic this situation will be._

He was left alone just long enough to finish putting on the bright red shoes until XY barged in, kicking the door open in the process. ”Izuku **HOLY FUCK** , your going to be late for your coffee date with McBlondie!”

“I-it's NOT a date damnit!...”

“Whatever you obvious and oblivious pining Lil bun. Lets not keep your man waiting any longer~” he said before dragging a very red and distressed Midoriya back downstairs. 

_Forget about Bakugo killing me, humiliation alone should do the trick._

* * *

“No,...dude, stop!”

_The kit’s back already?_

“Come. on...you big baby.”

“I am not... _ugh_ …going back like _this_ ”

Yagi looked over to the portal, but was only met with the newer fellow, attempting to drag the kit through. 

“Yes, you...aRE.” he retorted, making one last hard pull and finally bringing the other boy with him.

_What in the world- oh. The kits an All Might fan..._

To say it gave him a little more to his pride would be an understatement while Toshinori’s smile only got wider.  
It was cute to know Izuku had his merchandise. 

This time when they went through, the gate closed. Xy stood with a very shy kit behind him, in front of All Might.   
“Now we can go. Just tell me the name of this place where we're headed.”

“If I recall, it's Honey Pleasant Café.” he said.

Xy turned to Izuku, “Dude! I've tried to get you to go there with me for so long…” he said in an offended tone. Looking at Yagi again, opening a portal, he retorted “I'm actually familiar with that little café. Though as a warning, once you try _any_ of their drinks, you'll never go back to any other coffee shop. They really do live up to their name.” He stepped to the side, halfway bowing like a butler. “Ladies and gentlemen first.”

Deku rolled his eyes, still blushing and walked through, then Yagi followed suit.

They walked out, now in front of the café.

Both blond and greenette sat at a small table, while Z entirely ignored it and instead went to the counter. When they went in, the ravenette insisted they find a place to sit while he ordered the drinks. Yagi agreed once Xy gave in to using the blonds credit card.

It had been his idea anyway. The least he could do was pay for their stuff.

Z dropped off Yagi and Izuku's drinks, and then left again. This time, sitting at the counter and taking out his phone, making no indication of coming back. Toshinori took this opportunity to ask the question Izuku avoided earlier.

“My boy,..” he started, getting the others attention. “If I may know, how exactly did you get through the roof entrance the first time? You don't have to answer the question if you don't want to, I'm just curious is all.” 

Izuku looked down to the latte he nursed in his hands. “Nothing much happened, really. But...”

“It was around the middle of my first year of junior high. Since our house isn't actually in the city, I can't take a train, and usually just have Z teleport me before and after school. Anyways, I had just gotten home from my weekly visit to Chiyo-san, and Z randomly went on this rant of how going in like a normal person is boring. So, he _declared_ he would make it his mission to ensure each time I got in, was unique to the rest. I went in directly to her office, in the middle of a random hallway, and then from the roof. Recovery Girl wasn't too happy with that one especially and gave him an hour-long lecture. Z’s only dropped me off at the gates ever since. “

Toshinori could talk to Midoriya for hours if he could, but knew it was getting late. The sun had already set when they went in, and he didn't want to take up too much of the kits time- that would just be rude. Izuku let out a petite yawn, confirming how late it had gotten.

* * *

  
Small talk continued for a bit longer.

They had just exchanged numbers before Xy came back over to retrieve Deku. 

The younger males thanked him for the drinks, said their goodbyes and left. Z gave Yagi a thoughtful smirk right before he went through the glowing, swirling gate.

When it closed, he let out a tired sigh. It had been a long day, and for the first time in years, he could go home to rest without any pain.

[Personal Art Concept Thing](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/625155992015160595/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ik its kind of rushed at the end, but I wanted to save these next upcoming events I planned, for later chapters.  
> Z is more a brother figure that wishes to find Izuku a Boyfriend/Girlfriend than anything else. I kind of want him to have a personality that's Bakugo & Kaminari's combined...basically a caring lil shit.
> 
> And a big Thank You to my amazing Beta Reader princeyukki !  
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoy reading this! There should be another chapter out in a week or so.


	3. Shenanagins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets not forget to add a pining Overlord to this disasterous mix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 689 hits and 41 kudos from just two chapters, that's amazing guys thank you!  
> Ik the pacing might seem a bit slow but don't worry, after I get some stuff covered, things should pick up more. And sweet mercy man, Idk what I would do without that miracle of a Beta reader.
> 
> not all chapters will be 10k, most will be around 5k at the least unless I change my mind. That and the next chapter should be out sooner than this one was- give or take a week.

Everything was dark and empty. No sound, light, or taste- only a muffled pain, but he couldn't figure out where it came from. He didn't feel panic or even concern, just a calm acceptance. What was he welcoming? He doesn't recall. 

There's a gentle, earthy aroma wafting around him.   
He felt cold, like he was submerged in icy water. But it's fading into a soothing warmth. 

What happened? ~~Why can't he r e m e m b e r?~~

* * *

Padded footsteps were the only sound to fill the “home”, only an hour after they got back. 

Xy couldn't sleep with the pacing sound of feet hitting solid floorboards. His bedroom being right down the corridor along with his heightened hearing in his feline form, Z couldn't help but listen to each step. 

Bunny was overthinking again- about what, he didn't know. Sure, he may have embarrassed the kit earlier, but it wasn't even that bad. There were only a few things that sent Bunny into one of his pacing occurrences, embarrassment wasn't one of them.

Izuku said Yagi used the drink method, but McBlondie looked completely sober, so it wasn't his quirk. He’ll ask later, as his patience is running thin at the moment.

Presently, his tail twitches as he makes his way down the large hallway, careful to keep his steps quiet. The pacing gets louder the closer he gets. Though now that he doesn't have his own door to drown anything out, he realizes Bunny left his door _open_. Unfortunate for Bunny, but just Z’s luck -sometimes the kit’s suffering is his amusement.

He crouches in the doorway, watching his prey be too distracted to notice his presence. _Good_.  
Xy waits until his bunny is almost directly in front of the doorway, and pounces. Quite literally. Izuku yelps in surprise, but gets cut off in the middle of doing so.

Like his healing quirk, Izuku managed to get the weird side-effect genetics from his father. Under specific amounts or types of distress, Bunny’s quirk forms an odd defense mechanism. Extreme fear, sadness, and on occasions, rage could send him into an episode- especially if that stress had been building up. 

His bunny’s latest incident is a prime example. Instead of a startled 14 y/o child, in between Z’s rather large cat paws laid a strangely green rabbit. It adorned the same ring of fluff Xy had around his neck, but hey, he wasn't complaining. They matched! 

Z stood up, gently using his teeth to grab the tuft of fur on the back of his bunny’s neck and casually walked out of the bedroom. Though he could just teleport them to the new destination, walking sounded good for the time being. Besides, using his quirk more than he has today would just be straining.

The new room had been set up as a library and lounge- half of the walls were replaced with massive shelves containing books galore. Bean bags, blankets, pillows, and other cushions were all set up in a nest-like pallet. Several coffee tables moved to contain the massive bundle, yet still set up in an organized fashion. The wall on the opposite side of the doorway was completely made of glass, letting the dim light of the night sky phase through. 

Xy curled up in the middle of the nest, setting the rabbit down by his middle - Izuku hadn't said a word the whole time. It would be normal if Z was in his more humane form, but when they were both animals communicating was easy.

**[You can’t still be mad at me for earlier.]**

[…]

**[Come on man, I was only trying to get you to stop doing that pacing thing you get into every time you're stressed.]**

[…]

**[Please answer me dude, if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help.]**

…[Fine. No, I'm not mad about earlier, or what you said about it being a date.]

**[Then what's going on in that nerdy brain of yours?]**

[Promise you wont be mad?...]

**[That depends, why would I be mad?]**

[Bakugo- er he, just said some things that got me thinking. I was so focused on hanging out with you and Yagi-san that I had completely forgotten about it, until we got home at least.]

Xy’s curiosity peaked **- _Izuku typically ignored the bs Katsuki spouted, what made today any different?_**

 **[Mind telling me what he said?]**  
[Can we just drop the subject? It's not important anyway.]

**[If you're not going to tell me nerd, I can get Sensei. I'm sure he would love to get involved with this.]**

[Alright fine, but don't tell Sensei please. I-he told me...to ju-mp off a roof and hope f-for a quirk in my next life…”]

_**WHAT?** _

[Of course, I never considered it….but I was wondering, if I had actually been born quirkless, would I have thought about doing it ? Would I have actually _done_ it? And then it got me thinking about something else...would any of the good things that have happened to me even been possible if I were quirkless? Would I have still met you or Sensei?]

Xy growled in irritation.

**_That egotistical blond has pushed his limits. It's one thing to insult Bunny, but a whole different one to tell someone to fucking kill themselves. Karma will come and collect its debt, whether I have to do it myself, or if someone finally sees that brat’s true colors. My patience is running very thin with Aldera Jr. High as a whole, but you, Katsuki Bakugo, have really pushed my buttons lately._ **

**[That doesn’t give him an excuse to do it Izuku. I know you don't want me to attack him, but he has to pay for all the shit he's done to you. That whole school needs to pay. Yes, I understand they have to think you're quirkless, but that doesn't mean they can make your life an outright living hell.]** he snarled, though it wasn't directed at the bun.

The kid was just too nice for his own good. No matter how badly he was hurt, or how many cruel insults were thrown at him daily, he always kept his head high and forgave them.

Izuku only talked to other students to defend himself or call for help, but that soon stopped. As sad as it was, no one came to help, instead, they laughed- trying to resist any assault turned against him made it worse.

If it weren't for the school covering up any evidence he could use against them (or Hisashi and Inko currently being in America), Xy would have filed a lawsuit against that _hellhole_ they call an _educational institution_ by now. Sensei even once offered to sue but Izuku immediately rejected and shut it down; it was a waste, Suit’n’Tie had really good lawyers.. The guy could be shady as fuck sometimes, but he was useful for a lot of stuff.

[It doesn't really matter anyway. I can just heal myself afterwards- it usually doesn't even leave a scar]

 **[We need to have a talk about your way of thinking, but later. Right now, it's getting late so you should sleep.]** he stated, curling his tail around the bunny, and letting out a low rumble. 

Both succumbed to the call of sleep under the night sky.

* * *

2 weeks.

2 weeks he's been waiting.

2 weeks since she left. She said she would be back.

When he checked the mailbox, there was an envelope. It had a lot of money.   
Food started to run out, so he walked to the store and hoped to be back before sunset.

The dark was scary. You couldn't see anything. You were vulnerable to predators waiting to strike.   
He hated the dark, so he only went outside when absolutely necessary.

2 weeks turned into a month.

Where is she? Did something happen?   
Did she leave him on purpose? Did she forget about him?

He didn't understand, did he do something wrong? 

Before she left, he overheard mamma talking on the phone with papa.    
Papa said he was dangerous. Does that mean mamma thought he was dangerous too?

He didn't mean to, it was an accident!    
It won't happen again!

_** You said that last time, but here we are. ** _

_** She left, and there's no one else to blame but yourself. ** _

_**~~ You did this- ~~ ** _

* * *

Izuku jolted awake, air coming in short, quick breaths. 

Just a bad dream, but he didn't know what about.  
  
A massive wave of fatigue washed over him as he went to stand up. He noticed that the soft heat from Z was gone - he was gone. That lazy feline probably took off to his room as soon as Izuku fell asleep.

_Nevermind, I stand corrected._

The massive cat-like beast strolled into the room, carrying a bowl with an attached handle in his jaws. It was metal, and small -just big enough to contain around a cup and a half of food or drink. In this bunny’s case, it was honey milk, something Z would always make for Izuku when he got like... _this_.

He may be a prick, or occasionally lazy, but Xy did care. All of his pranks were mostly harmless, and the teasing never had any malicious intent.

Izuku can't imagine living alone after being around Z for so long.

He set it down in front of Midoriya, careful not to spill any of the comfort drink. It tasted like it always did, heavenly. How such a simple drink could taste so good, he will never know.

After every drop was gone, Xy briefly groomed the hare and then himself- a clean and healthy coat was a happy one. He curled around Izuku, laying where the sunlight would hit. For two people with animal forms (even if one was only temporary), they got cold rather easily. Z once joked how they were secretly reptiles; Izuku was not amused.

[What are we doing today?]

**[Staying in the lounge and relaxing all day. Why do you ask? You got plans today bunny boy?]**

[Since it's Saturday, yes I did. I was hoping to go shopping at the mall for some new merch, and maybe a few new outfits.]

**[Hate to break it to you bud, but you can't exactly go out in that form…]**

[I'll just have to wait until it wears off- what time is it anyway?]

**[Last I checked, around 1:30-2:00 o’clock. Considering the normal amount of time it takes for that to wear off, it'll be 3-4.]**

[That's fine, I'll be done before sunset.]

**[I'm only gonna agree to take you on two terms.]**

Izuku sighed, replying [Let's hear ‘em…]

**[One, I get to choose your outfit. Two, we leave when I say so.]**

[...Deal.]

* * *

Yagi woke up in his cozy apartment that morning feeling refreshed and still warm- it was nice.

For breakfast, he ate mixed rice and eggs with furikake. It wasn't as much as he would’ve liked, but he still needed to re-do his grocery shopping.

He couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday.

Happy didn’t even begin to describe how Yagi felt when RG confirmed he was whole again- it was like reuniting with an old friend, in a sense. He still had that joyous attitude waking up, knowing he could eat more, he could finally breathe without any pain- he could be All Might once more. Chiyo later texted him that there was the possibility he would still have a time limit, but that didn't matter. 

No way in hell would buying coffee make up for the huge ass miracle the kit bestowed upon him. Izuku more or less saved his life, so Yagi owes the kit his own. No (more) harm shall come to the kit on his watch.

Yagi watched the news, ate lunch, and read a book till around 4pm then left to restock on supplies. The mall wasn't too far of a walk from his apartment so it only took half an hour. Luckily, it had a few attached convenience stores inside, so he headed there on a normal basis. 

Plus, it was fun to check out what new merch they sold for himself and other heroes. 

Going in the main entrance, a wave of different scents hit him all at once. Candles, flowers, various cleaners and...food. No longer restricted to an extremely limited diet, Yagi freely shopped for foods he genuinely enjoyed eating beforehand as he pleased. 

After buying a few veggies, meats, and premade meals, as well as other needed supplies, it was 6pm- he also stopped a few times to browse random items. He ran across the new “limited edition” action figurine of himself that Night Eye said they released a few days ago.

_I got sidetracked and ended up staying out later than I first intended. Might as well find some place to eat while I'm here…_

He started his search for Chūka Soba, a small business Yagi used to go to- they were commonly known for their homestyle katsudon and various ramen. _It should be here somewhere- granted, it's been a while- but still._

“Lets. Go.”

“Come on, _pleeeeas_ e. I've been dying to get one, and there's only so many left”

“Dude, no. You have like, every other piece of merch in your bedroom _alone_. Seriously, it looks like a shrine”

“Rude.”

“Well it's true, you rodent.”

It can't be…

“I'm not a rodent you lazy prick.”

“Actually, I'm not lazy and you know it. Using my quirk needs a lot of rest beforehand.”  
Yagi looked around, trying to spot the source of those familiar voices.

_It is the kit. And he’s with, who I'm going to assume, is his relative of a sort._

They were heading his way. The closer they got, the more he registered what the kit was wearing...A black off-shoulder long sleeve, jean shorts, vans, a small choker, _high stockings?? And is that eyeliner?_ Yagi could feel his face heating up.

Izuku looked attractive to say the least and the outfit really suited him... 

_Toshinori no! He's a child. Shit- they saw me!_

“Yagi-san!” Midoriya exclaimed, waving to him. “I didn't realize we would see you again so soon. How has your day been so far?”

”It's been swell young Midoriya, I was just on my way from getting groceries” Yagi replied, rubbing the back of his neck, and holding up a bag.

“What are you two doing here if I may ask?”

Izuku opened his mouth to reply, but this time Xy cut him off. This was the perfect chance to embarrass Bunny. “Shortstack here wanted to do a bit of shopping, but it turned into a whole spree. We were about to get this limited edition merch, because _someone_ just _has_ to add it to his collection, and then find someplace to eat. Wanna join us?”

_Damnit Z. Now All Might knows I own a ton of his merch and he probably thinks I'm some sort of over-obsessed fan. Not cool dude._

“He's probably busy, we shouldn't bother him Z.”

“No, I don't mind. There's actually a good udon place I was headed to. After we're done, we could grab a bite there.”

_Crap. Well then, there goes a piece of my dignity. Nice job Deku._

Izuku was silent on the way there, going inside, buying the item, and leaving the store. The mall was noisy, so it wasn't as awkward as it could've been. Sadly, the silence between the trio was put to a halt because Xy got bored.

“So, Yagi, was it? What exactly is your profession?” Midoriya face-palmed. 

_Yes, sensei was a villain, but that didn't mean every other person we meet is going to be one Z, you oversized housecat._

“Ah, about that, I'm just a secretary for a hero agency.” he said, already having a story in case anyone were to ask.

Z raised a brow, ”Really, Who?”

“Er, All Might. I've never actually talked face-to-face the man himself, I just do all the paperwork and assist in scheduling his weeks.” 

_The mans got clout, just an added bonus though._

“Cool.” Xy simply retorted.

They stopped at Chūka Soba, ordered, got their food, and sat at a three-person table. It settled into a peaceful silence after everything calmed down, and bellies began to fill. But there was a question lingering in Yagi’s mind since it became known to him that Izuku was Recovery Girls pupil.

“Young Midoriya,” Izuku looked up, mouth full of noodles, and eyes wide like a deer frozen in headlights.

_Cute! Like a rabbit that got caught stealing a carrot._

“I've been wondering, since you’re Chiyo's apprentice, do you plan on attending UA?”

He nodded, mouth still occupied. “It's been my dream since I was little. My quirk may not be suited for fighting, but I know I can find a way to save people.” Izuku replied after finishing his last bite of rice.

Yagi turned to Xy, but he didn't seem like he wanted to talk- he somehow slipped on a pair of wireless headphones and finished his meal without Yagi noticing. So he just continued his conversation with the kit.

The blond got an idea, one that would allow him to spend more time with the kit _and_ help the kid get ready for the entrance exam.  
He carried on after they got up, dropped off their utensils and bowls, and started to head back to the entrance.

“I know it's still 10 months away, but I could assist in training you for the practical exam.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up like stars. In excitement, he asked “Really??”

Toshinori chuckled and answered, “Mhm. Quirks aren't everything in the exam, sometimes all it takes is enough strength and a bit of strategy. I know a place that would be perfect for building up that strength -That is, if you want to take me up on the offer.”

The boy's excitement only grew. “Are you kidding? Of course I would _love_ to take up your offer! Thank you Yagi-san!” Midoriya finished, suddenly hugging the tall blond.

Toshinori was caught off guard. He didn't know what else to do and patted the kit’s back. His blush from before returned- the kit was pressing against his scar. It didn't hurt, but on top of the warmth, there was now a tingling, pleasurable feeling present. _Ah, I'm going to hell for this...mmm._

Before things could get worse, he carefully pulled away, trying not to seem rude. Yagi walked, leading the way back once more while both teens happily followed. 

Xy’s mouth still pulled into a shit-eating grin- another thing the blond failed to notice. In between hugging Yagi, Izuku stole a glance at his feline friend beside them. Xy’s signature "I-know" smug look was present, which caused Izuku to process just what he was doing.

_Shit._

Unbeknownst to Izuku, Toshinori was fighting his own internal battle. Xy saw this and was loving _every_ moment of it.

* * *

When they got home, Bunny was met with “Izuku!” and then got spun around. It was Sensei.

“I've missed you so much little one! But I've been so busy lately- Forgive meeeee” he said in a pleading tone.

This became a normal thing for the two. If Sensei was gone for more than a week, when he returned, he would coddle Bunny and beg for forgiveness. While Xy was extra, Sensei was overdramatic. It's just how things worked 

“It's fine. I'm sure the underground is a pain to deal with.” As mentioned before, Suit’n’Tie already told his little one about his previous acts of villainy.

When he did, it was a surprising reaction- Izuku was silent for a moment, processing what had just been said, then smiled at All For One and replied, ”That's ok, people make mistakes sometimes.” Yes, he was a bit upset knowing someone he cared about used to be the kingpin of villains, but Midoriya had always lived with at least one ideal. One that never changed even as he got older.

Everyone deserves a second chance to fix their mistakes; even if you were a really dangerous villain overlord and the arch nemesis of All Might himself. 

So that's what Sensei’s been busy with, fixing his faults, starting with the underground villain society. The guy never actually says _how_ he does it, or specifically _what_ he does when he's gone, but Bunny trusts him. Besides, he hasn't done anything to intentionally harm Izuku, so Xy doesn't mind the guy.

After putting him down, Sensei pulls out a small box from his pockets, holding it to Izuku. It was dark green, with a light green bow on top, and it was the size of Bunny’s palm. 

“As a proper apology little one, I got you a gift. I hope you like it.” he ended, handing it to the petite boy.

“Sensei you really didn't have to, but Thank you.”

Unwrapping the bow, and lifting up the top, inside revealed a pair of Cabochon Emerald and Diamond Teardrop Earrings. Izuku carried a blank expression, which concerned the other two males. “Izuku, do you not like it?”

Tears suddenly cascaded down Midoriya’s flushed cheeks, which caused the concern to only grow. 

Sensei was worried and panicking, he never wanted to be the reason his little one was upset. “Shit, I’m so sorry Izuku, I didn't-”

“It's not that sensei, it's just- I don't know what to say. They're beautiful.”  
 _So it was just Bunny being emotional. Fun._

Suit’n’Tie now also realizing the situation, calmed down, now smiling as he rest his hand atop the green, fluffy curls.

“I'm glad you like them, but how else was I supposed to make it up to you? A treasure such as yourself deserves a treasure of your own.”

“ _Hic_. But I'm not-”

“Nope. None of that nonsense little one. Now, how about you two go upstairs to the lounge, and I will meet you there with some honey milk. Sound good?”

Izuku couldn't speak without his voice cracking, so he nodded. Xy led the way, making his ascent up the overly large stairs. The house was empty except for the three males, so the only sounds heard were sniffles, hiccups, and soft breathing during their trek to the spacious lounge.

“I'm sorry.” Izuku managed to say, just above a whisper.

Xy raised his eyebrow and looked back at Bunny. “For what?”

“For _hic_ being emotional _hic_ ”

He let out a sigh, ”There's no reason to apologize for that. You can't help that you're a bit more sensitive than other people. It's fine.”

“ _Hic_ But-”

“No buts.”

Izuku was silent again, but puffed his cheeks, pouting, and crossing his arms.

They made too many twists and turns for Xy’s preference before they got to the same room they were in that morning. Bunny had changed back at 3:30pm on the dot, but both had agreed to leave at 4:00 if he changed back before then.

To pass the time, Bunny grabbed his phone from his room, and looked at the most recent Hero News. Edgeshot and Best Jeanist took down a villian in Deika City, while Ingenuim’s team stopped a runaway bus.

Bunny chose to sprawl out in their ‘nest’ while Z took a red beanbag. Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

All For One took his time preparing the calming drink- he needed to think and make sure it was perfect for his Izuku. Filling the kettle with milk and putting it on the stove to heat up, he leaned against the large blue marble-top island, trying to clear his head.

 _My little one has definitely grown. On top of his compassion, kindness, that cute stutter he gets, and that adorable little laugh, I will admit his body has matured nicely._ _However, with that certain attire today, he’s made it harder to hold back and pretend- wearing a revealing top and shorts that shows off that delicate skin is already bad as it is. But a choker and stockings was the icing to the cake. I have been patient for years, and I don't think I can last much longer before I snap._

No matter how much All For One wants Izuku, he knew he couldn't- that fact made him restless at night. Just thinking about it agitated him, causing one of his quirks to act up.

It was like it had a mind of its own, at least around Izuku that is.

If he had physical contact for too long or even any intimate thoughts, it would force its way out, almost reaching for his little izuku. It was a nuisance, but he would deal with it if it meant he could spend more time with Izuku.

_My little miracle worker has done nothing but show me kindness, so it's only right I make sure he isn't harmed by my hands. If something did happen, I don't think I could ever forgive myself._

Distracted with other thoughts that prevented a certain issue, his head was clear enough to realize the milk was ready.

All For One took three circular, glass cups from one of the cupboards, and poured out 1 cup of hot milk in each. From the spice and seasoning shelves above one of the counters, he grabbed the other needed ingredients. He added the honey first, putting only a few teaspoons, then two drops of vanilla extract, and a pinch or two of ground cinnamon and stirred it all together.

 _That feline might like keeping things basic, but my Izuku deserves more than simplicity._  
  
To top it all off, he grabbed the whipped cream from the fridge. All For One Swirled it on and added a pinch more of cinnamon plus a drizzle of honey on top of that, making the perfect drink. He pulled out a silver platter, set the drinks on it, and steadily made his way to where his miracle worker should be. 

He could've used a telekinesis quirk he had stolen years back, but doing everything by hand made it more special. 

_If only Izuku could see how much I adore him, if only I could really show him how I feel about him. But, that would be disrespectful. Besides, he needs to have the chance… to find someone of his age, not a 200 year old man who has destroyed countless lives. Though, maybe I could talk to Xy and ask him if there's any possibility of my little one harboring feelings for me. He is a more...relaxed fellow. What if he tells Izuku? No, I'm sure he wouldn't do that. Unless…_

He was knocked back into reality once he had seen he made it to the lounge. With the doors still being open, All for one walked through. The only problem was that he was almost tackled by Xy. Luckily, he dodged quick enough with careful movements, having no spilled liquid or horrendous mess. “Ah, ah, ah. You know the rules _Cat_ , little Izuku gets his first. Try that again and you won’t get any.”

Walking to Izuku, who was now sitting up, All For One passed a very distressed Z. Though, in all honesty, he didn't care. The ravenette almost spilled their drinks, plus Izuku was more important in the man's eyes.

He gently handed Izuku a glass and _then_ grabbed one for himself. He set the platter down on a nearby center table, and without any hesitation, Xy grabbed his own glass of the heavenly drink. 

Z will never admit it, but Overlord Mcgee could make a far greater honey milk than he does. It tastes better and always has this fancy and neat presentation.

“Thank you Sensei” Bunny said, voice normal once he got over his mini breakdown.

“It's no problem little one. Are you feeling better now?”

“Much. I'm sorry about that earlier, I just…”

All For One settled himself next to Izuku while Xy returned to the oversized bean bag.

“There's no reason to be sorry my boy, you just carry more compassion than others. It's alright” he said, softly ruffling Bunny’s hair.

“That's what I said. Well, kind of. Close enough to it.” Xy chirped in, which caused All for One to send a quiet glare towards him. Fun.  
  
Izuku looked down at his drink, avoiding eye contact. “But I cry over the littlest things, I still let insults get to me. I-...I may not even have a chance at-”

“What did i just say about speaking that negative nonsense little one?”

“N-not to?” Izuku answered, fidgeting with the empty glass in his hands.

“That's right. Now, since it's that time, and you’re done with your honey milk, do you want to help me make dinner?”

Izuku nodded. ”Y-yes please. What is t-onight's dinner going to be?”

Suit’n’Tie grinned, ”Your favorite, katsudon!” 

Bunny’s face lit up, and if All For One ever said it didn't just make his day, he’d be lying.

He stood up, offering the little miracle his hand, which he took and got up from their blanket and cushion nest. The man looked over at Xy, who was passed out.

_That was quick. Oh well, more time alone with my Izuku._

They made their way to the kitchen, until All for One got a marvelous idea.

He swiftly picked Izuku up in a bridal style before the boy could react. Out of panic, he wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders and neck, which was a bonus to All for One, since Izuku was basically cuddling him. 

Though, since he was still wearing that...rather revealing outfit, Sensei quickly realized his mistake and hoped he didn't get hard in front of his innocent flower. That is something he would rather not happen before he can tell Izuku just what his little one has gotten himself into- he has stumbled upon the lion's den and that lion has no intention of letting his prey go, as he has caught something untampered from the world; and plans to protect it as long as he can.

“I can walk Sensei” he said, almost coherently as he was trying to hide his blush in the man's chest. All For One could feel Izuku’s soft breathing through his suit, though with his quirk, he could feel the slightly quickened heartbeat. The boy was flustered, which was a look that the man quite enjoyed seeing often.

He chuckled, ”Yes, I know little one, but I find it more fun to do it this way. Besides, you need to save your energy.”

Izuku’s response was pure gibberish -All For One found it cute.

When they entered the kitchen, the first thing Sensei did was prop the boy up on the large marble island. Izuku was tempted to let out a whine as his source of warmth was gone. That and whenever Sensei would have any physical contact with him, a tingling feeling was left that gave Midoriya a good kind of goosebumps. Another reason why he would always be embarrassed when the man hugged or carried him.

All For One got fresh pork, an egg carton, a bottle of mirin, and a small carton of dashi stock out of the fridge. While he got the refrigerated items, Midoryia hopped off the cold surface and busied himself with the other stuff. He grabbed the salt and pepper, flour, panko, oil, sugar, a small bottle of soy sauce, and white rice. 

After everything was out and ready to be prepped, Izuku made sure to thoroughly wash his hands, put on an apron, and roll up his sleeves with All For One following suit.

The man thought it was ironic, here they were making dinner together like a married couple. His Izuku looked like a little housewife, apron and all.

_If only it could be true my dear._

After prepping the meat, All for One grabbed the salt, pepper, and flour; coating and seasoning the meat while Izuku beat one of the eggs and had the panko ready in another bowl. Next, he heated up the oil in a pan, while he dipped and coated the meat in egg and panko.

Izuku was too lost in thought with steaming the rice and mixing the stock, sugar, soy sauce, and mirin in a small bowl to notice All For One looking at him. The man couldn't help himself, his delicate flower looked so focused and determined for such a simple task.

* * *

  
When everything was ready, Izuku went to retrieve the glass bowls and chopsticks. The only problem; what he wanted to get was too high up for him to reach, but Izuku attempted to get it anyway. 

Seeing the boy struggle to get the items, All For One decided to help out…

Izuku was on his tip-toes by now, still not giving up on the task at hand.  
 _Come on man,…almost. Ther-_

“Need some assistance, little one?”

_Oh sweet mercy, he's right behind me. I can just about feel his chest pressing against me. Shit. What should I do??_

“Ah, er- y-yes ple-ase...” his face almost scarlet and his words stuttered- It only got worse as All For One leaned forward more, grabbing the bowls, but he actually pressed against Izuku this time.

_Sensei, please don't tease me like this. I know I have zero chance with you...much less Yagi-san for that matter. Both are possibly married already, maybe they even have kids._

_I am a kid. What would they see in me anyway, even if there was that small possibility they were still single?..._

He played it off as simply helping his delicate little flower, but he really only wanted an excuse to see that flustered look on Izuku’s face. He could have Izuku make that face for other reasons but he knows his innocent miracle isn't quite ready for that.

He set the dishes on the counter, “There you go. See? That wasn't so difficult to just ask.”

“We sho-uld f-finish bef-ore the k-katsudon ge-ts cold.”

He slipped by All For One and started to put the katsudon together in each bowl- he frowned as his mind brought back that inevitable fact that he despised so much. 

He shouldn't like two people at once. It's...not right. He was also afraid. Afraid that if he confronts either male about his feelings, it could go wrong in so many ways.

1)They could be disgusted by the mere thought they had to be around what Bakugou called him once, a...fag. He hated that word. It made Izuku feel like he should be guilty or feel wrong for even liking another guy.  
2)They already have someone and would pity him afterwards.  
3)They would realize he’s a child and could never offer something in a relationship.

There were just so many possibilities. Yes, he’s known Sensei for years now, but he only talked to Yagi once. Yet, he could never forget the blond even after all those years. 

_I suppose yesterday was a wake-up call, and it sure was not the good kind. Gods, why can't I just be normal?_

It was only then Izuku noticed he was staring off into space, and quickly put the plastic wrap on Xy’s katsudon bowl for when he woke up.

“You know, I could help you train for UA if you still want to go?” All For One said out of nowhere, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

“Of course, going to UA and being a hero has always been my dream. But, I-err, already have someone helping me with training, Sensei… well, strength training at least.”

All for One wanted to be pissed, but if he showed it in front of Izuku, his little one would probably think it's directed towards him. No, not at all, he only wishes to meet this prick who thinks they can take away his chance at spending more time with the ball of sunshine that had been brought into his life. 

That, and his innocent flower seemed uncomfortable from what he did just now. All For One just _cornered_ his precious emerald, of course the boy would be uncomfortable. 

His impatience has really made him more reckless with his actions involving Izuku. He needs to get control again before he does anything regretful.

“That's not an issue, I can simply give you lessons in the fighting department. Though, I would love to know _who_ exactly your training is with?”

“ I do suppose learning how to fight would be very useful. And about that, he's just an old friend.”

_Damn. It wouldn't be that blond, red-eyed brat, would it? No. Besides, if it was, I wouldn't allow it -My Izuku doesn't need to be around that punk more than he has to already. Task at hand Kurō._

“Which technique would you like to learn, little one? I could teach you hand to hand combat, like karate, Kung fu, or Aikido. Or, if you prefer, we could do a weapon-involved fighting technique like Jujitsu, armed martial arts, or even just sword fighting.”

“ I was thinking more along the lines of...Capoeira.” Izuku said, looking down nervously while twiddling his thumbs. All For One was a bit taken aback, as he wasn't exactly expecting that to be his answer. Though, technically he should've known Izuku would go with that, as his flower is always full of surprises it seems.

“Dance fighting, huh?” he chuckled.

Izuku’s embarrassed blush grew, seeming almost regretful of his answer.

_Shit, nonononono. Please don't be upset, my flower._

“Not that it’s a bad thing, I just don't think I've ever tried to learn that type of fighting. Interesting choice though little one.”

Hearing the small praise, Izuku’s frown was replaced with a nervous smile. Looking up at All For One, he retorted in a joking tone, ”But how? You're like over 100 years old.”

“That's over 200 years old to you.” he joined in.

“Exactly, how do you not know Capoeira when you've been alive this long?”

“Well _excuse me_ my _liege_ ,” he started, bowing in a joking manner, “for not being the type of man who dances when I fight. Seriously, how do you suppose I would've intimidated my underlings if they found out I danced?”

The boy couldn't help but laugh, completely forgetting about any negative thoughts from before. The man joined in, but he partially focused on that sweet melodious sound that escaped his flower’s small lips.

It took a good minute for Izuku to realize the flour was behind him on the counter, calling his name. His smile turned into a mischievous smirk. In the most innocent tone he could muster, Midoriya asked 

“Hey, S-sensei? Can you t-turn around f-or a sec?”

 _What's this?_

He raised a brow, a large grin still adorning his face. “And why would I do that, my dear?”

“ I-i have something I-i want to show y-ou, but you have t-to turn around first, or else it w-won't be a surprise s-sir.”

_What are you planning my precious emerald? Surely it's not what I hope it is…._

“Alright then.” he said as he went with the boy's request- behind him, he could only hear soft shuffling and a tiny giggle. The soft footsteps got closer.

“Ok, you can turn around now”

When he did, Izuku was barely a foot away from All for One.

“So what's this surprise you wanted to show me little one?” he said, cocking his head to the side and slightly leaning down.

Another fit of sweet sounding giggles escaped his lips, as his hands were cupped together, like he was holding something. 

“Oh nothing much, I just thought maybe you could…” Midoriya retorted with a smug grin, as he opened his hands, and immediately blew the white powder all over the tall man.

“...try a different look.” he concluded.

All For One was shocked, to say the least. His idea of a surprise had been way off from that little prank his emerald just pulled. He was truly proud as well; he had completely fallen for Izuku's innocent act and didn't suspect a thing.

He could feel that at least half of the flour went to his hazel locks; the rest went to his suit.

“So...” he said, lifting up the flour bag from across the kitchen with two fingers and one of the telekinesis quirks he had.

“The little master wants to go to war huh? I will be happy to oblige, my dear” he declared. 

His own expression turned smug as he dumped a portion of the contents out of the bag, earning a gasp from Izuku.

Things turned into chaos once Midoriya laughed and grabbed some of the extra flour on him, smudging it onto All for One’s forehead. It went back and forth, both parties on a separate side of the island, throwing flour at each other, trying to avoid ruining the bowls of katsudon- it didn't work as well as both had hoped it would.

Izuku and All For One both were covered from head to toe in the white powder, as well as the island, countertops, and even some of the cabinets. Izuku had tried to use his shield, but the man just activated the telekinesis quirk (again) and made it go around, so it was pretty much useless.

In the middle of it, Izuku tried to protest “That’s cheating, Sensei!”

But, all he got in return was “All's fair in love and war little one!” right before the man threw another handful of flour.

After almost half an hour of their mini “Flour War”, Izuku tried to make a break for one of the doorways closest to the island. But, he ended up running into a very dazed Xy, who unfortunately got hit too when All for One ‘threw’ two handfuls of flour at Izuku. Z couldn't care less, he was more worried about the poor kitchen.

“What. In the _hell_. Did you two _do_ to my kitchen?? It's an absolute mess!” he said, throwing his hands up to grab at his hair in panic.

He looked at All For One with a deep scowl. “Overlord Mcgee, I thought you said you were making _dinner_??What in the fresh fu-”

“Z, _language_.”

“My bad. What in _thy_ fresh fuck happened?”

All For One dusted off some of the loose flour from his suit, “We did make dinner. Your katsudon was actually the only one safe from our fun -You can thank Izuku for that, you stray.”

“Tch. Whatever. I'm going to go to my room and eat in peace. Tomorrow morning, I _better_ find this kitchen spic and span.” Xy stated, as he grabbed his bowl and left, looking very annoyed.

It went back to utter silence as they listened to his footsteps stomping upstairs- All For One was the first to break the silence as he completely lost it. Izuku tried not to laugh, but he couldn't help it. Now both males were doubled over, cackling with laughter.

“ _Someone_ ,” a pause of giggles, ”was sure upset.” Izuku struggles to get out.

All For One chimed in with, “He looked like,” after another pause of cackling he continued,” A cat that lost its favorite toy!”

Midoriya will admit, they've made quite a mess of the large kitchen and he feels bad, just a little bit; they were going to clean up afterwards ,anyways.

He couldn't help but feel like there was something missing, something kind of important…

_The katsudon. Dang it, it's probably ruined by now._

“First off, language little one. Second of all, I can easily fix our dinner to be good as new so don't you worry about that.”

_I just said that out loud, didn't I?_

“Yes, you did.” All For One responded, going around the island to Izuku and setting him back up to sit on the marbled countertop. The petite boy let out a startled squeak in return. He handed Izuku his flour-covered dish, and this time, used telekinesis to completely separate the colorless powder from the katsudon.

Something so simple yet so complex. Izuku wished he had one of his notebooks during times like these.

He did the same thing to his own bowl before they both dug into the mouthwatering pork dish. They quickly finished, not wanting to stay covered in food for too long. All For One got up first, grabbing his and Izuku’s empty dishes and putting them into the sink across the room.

“You go ahead and get washed up, I'll take care of the mess. Okay?” 

“Wha- No. We were both at fault for the kitchen being a disaster, let me help.” Izuku voiced, hopping off the counter and making his way to the cleaning storage room near the kitchen.

But, he was stopped by another one of All for One's quirks carefully wrapping around his torso, preventing Izuku from walking any further. This one, was a tendril-like ability that was neither solid or liquid, it was almost like a mix of both that was black and red in color.

“Ah, ah, ah. I can handle this myself, little one. What, you don't think this old man can do it alone?”

“I'm sure you can, but I'm still just as guilty for the mess. And technically, in a sense, your not _that_ old Sensei”

The tendrils unraveled from his stomach, letting Izuku move freely once more.

“I appreciate the compliment dear, but that's not going to get me to change my mind. Now off you go little one.” He insisted, using the tendrils to gently push Midoriya out of the room, and towards the main entrance hall.

He is grateful for the gesture, but now Izuku feels bad for not cleaning anything. The thing is, once Sensei sets his mind on something, it gets done; and usually it's done his way.  
Without any distraction, Midoriya felt uncomfortable being covered in all that flour, so he quickly headed upstairs and to the shower.

In his opinion, every room in the “house” was too big. Yes, he enjoyed it being more open but then again, that just made things feel lonely. A prime example, the attached bathroom in his room and his bedroom. The bedroom itself was at least as big as two modern house living rooms as Izuku’s bed was a king size, and it barely made a dent in the space- not something he was fond of, as the house was only one of Hisashi’s excuses to why he should stay in Japan.

Izuku stepped onto the large, cold, marble platform surrounded by thin glass walls as a barrier from the rest of the bathroom. Izuku turned on the water, letting the warm liquid run down his back and into his thick curls. He lathered in the vanilla shampoo, and decided to get lost in thought as he waited.

You know those situations where you play it cool until you're alone, suddenly remember why you had to play it cool, then on occasions panic or just get embarrassed? Yeah...Izuku is having one of those- for a few good reasons, too.

To start, Sensei carried him all the way back downstairs -not as bad as the others but still.

Then, Sensei got _so_ close to him when he was by the counter, like he was trying to trap Midoriya. But he wouldn't actually do that, so that makes it even worse. The man probably didn't even realize what he was doing besides just helping out. Besides, Sensei is too much of a gentleman to do that.

And to top it off, any time he would touch Izuku, (even if it was just to help the boy up) a specific tingle would run through him. The amount of physical contact determines how strong it is though- being carried and when he was almost completely touching the boys back are good examples of the feeling being stronger. Especially when one of the inky tendrils came into contact with Izuku, the tingle would turn into something more pleasurable. He knew Sensei wasn't doing it on purpose, however it was still humiliating; Even if the man didn't know.

If Sensei ever found out, he would be disgusted and then leave or completely disappear from Izuku’s life. He would rather hang on to the close friends he cares about, thanks.

Rinsing the shampoo out, he moved on to the conditioner, letting his thoughts wander onto a different topic.

He should text Mr. Yagi later since they didn’t discuss precisely _where_ he would be doing strength training. That and he really should have foreseen him being All Might all along. In a sense, it was kind of obvious. They had the same piercing blue eyes, the blond hair, their towering height was close enough. Even the hair tufts, though in his smaller form the tufts are hanging down while as All Might they look more like bunny ears.

Izuku laughed a bit. 

_At some point, didn’t the tufts of hair twitch like ears…There's the possibility he can control them to a degree. Like being double jointed or like someone who's able to wiggle their ears without a quirk, but with hair. I'll definitely have to ask him about that and add it to my notes on All Might…_

_Note to self, get a planner or a separate notebook for the list of stuff I need to do at some point._

Rinsing out the conditioner and making sure all of the white powder is gone, Izuku turned off the water and stepped out. When he went to grab his towel from the long leather chair, he noticed there was already a set of his pajamas waiting. Xy most likely snuck in at some point and dropped them off- he's a prick, but he can also be like a very motherly sibling when he wants to.

_Hold on… Damnit, not again!_

He didn't mind wearing what Xy had picked out for him, it's just, he would rather Sensei not see him in this -precisely being a black tube top and black shorts that hugged around his feminine hips. The outfit really did not leave much to the imagination.

Izuku knows that jerk only does it because of his weird motives to get Izuku a love interest. He doesn't care for the most part, it's just that Xy likes to pick people that he has no chance with. It's like he's mocking Izuku, but he has good intentions whilst he does it. 

Izuku got dressed and went to his bedside where he put his phone on charge before washing off.  


**Me: Hey Yagi-san! You never actually said where and when I would be training since Xy had been rushing to get home. I am very sorry about that…** **he is a very impatient person and my only way home :/**

**Yagi: It's alright my boy, it was getting pretty late anyway.**   
**I was thinking we could start your training tomorrow if**   
**you’d like.**

**Me: Yes please!**

**Yagi: Alright then, just meet me at Dagobah Beach around 7:30-8**   
**tomorrow morning.**

**Me: M’kay. Well, Goodnight Yagi-san! Sweet dreams!^^**

**Yagi: Goodnight^^**

_It's 9:23, so if I go to bed by 12 at the latest, I should still be getting about seven or eight hours of sleep. I could hang out with Sensei for now, but I'm still in this outfit. I can just put something on over it._

Izuku got up from where he was sitting on his bed and made his way over to the walk-in closet, skimming through each piece of clothing. He could just use a hoodie, maybe a robe -or _a sweater, perfect!_

He grabbed a large, soft grey sweater off its hanger that went down to Izuku's mid thigh. and covered the black shorts when he put it on.  
It was so warm and cozy, like a hug. 

  
When he stepped out of the walk-in closet, he got startled in the process as All For One was sitting in one of the lounge sofas in his room. He was in casual-wear, something Izuku didn't get to see that often unless the man was going to bed. And by casual wear, it's lowkey just sweatpants while he’s completely shirtless.

“S-sensei what are y-ou doing here?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to watch a movie with me before bed. You don't have to if you do not wish to, I just thought we could spend more time together to make up for the time I was gone.”

“S-sure, I don't see w-hy not, but which room?”

“I’d say the lounge or movie room, you pick.”

“Mmm. Movie room”

All For One picked Izuku up yet again, but this time he held Izuku with one arm- his forearm supporting most of the boy up from under his legs while his hand ensured he wouldn’t fall. In this position, Izuku had more access to wrap his arms around the man's neck, and in all technicality, cuddle closer to that _sweet, sweet warmth._

“Enjoying yourself, little one?” he chuckled out.

Izuku buried his face into the crook of his neck, nearly muffling his response.

“I-it's n-ot my fault th-is house is a-always so cold.”

“It's not even that cold my dear, you’re just sensitive to the lower temperatures is all.”

Izuku merely muttered a reply All For One couldn't hear since he wasn't using any quirk. It was cute to him either way- the way his little flower would hide into him, the cute freckles poking out of the neck of the sweater, and especially how Izuku would cuddle him like a koala. He could hardly keep his composure with all that cuteness.

_You are going to be the death of me one day, my little Izuku._

He opened one of the two doors leading to the movie room, a giant space that was occupied by a giant off-white couch with various velvety red pillows, a single row of armchairs behind it, and two velvety red tuffets right in front of it.

All For One gently set Izuku down in the middle of the couch and retrieved the tablet that hooked up to the projector from a small table off to the side. He sat on one of the tuffets, waiting until Izuku crawled over to where he could clearly see the screen.

“What are we watching tonight?” the greenette asked.

“I was thinking maybe a Disney movie, since I know how much you adore those.”  
 _Almost as much as I adore you my flower._

Izuku gasped in excitement, “Can we watch _Bambi_??”

“Of course.”

That's just what they did, watching Bambi, Izuku crying his heart out and All For One rubbing comforting circles on his back any time a sad scene played. After they finished the movie, they put in _Brother Bear, Meet the Robinsons,_ and _Big Hero 6_ -In the middle of _Robinhood_ Izuku had fallen asleep with his head on one of All for One’s legs, using it as a pillow.

The man pushed himself and Izuku up further on the couch and made sure they were both in a more comfortable position. At first, the boy was only beside him, but subconsciously decided he was cold and laid halfway on top of All For One’s bare chest.

He could hear the boy’s soft breathing and could now feel the steady heartbeat as his quirk was trying to make its way out. He couldn't stop one of the stray tendrils from getting to Izuku- it was almost as if it wanted to map out every part of Izuku. That particular quirk felt sentient, but it was only reacting to Kuro’s feelings and desires.

He knew he shouldn't hesitate to immediately stop it, but Izuku didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort. Quite the contrary, his innocent gem looked to be enjoying the touches if his now flustered face said anything. His quirk was satisfied with the simple gestures so he supposes it would be okay for now.  
.  
.  
.  
Not the best decision he's ever made, because things went from a three to a solid ten _real_ quick.

All For One had just gone into a half-asleep state until he woke up to tiny tremors and barely audible moans coming from Izuku. His quirk hadn’t settled down like he thought it would, it was only encouraged to go further.

As much as All For One would love to keep listening to those angelic sounds, he would rather it be in different circumstances.

As to not wake his flower, he couldn't move much when he went to grab the stray tendril that was oh so persistent to go further. It was a task in itself just to get a grip on it since the thing was an odd mix of liquid and solid. He slowly unraveled it from around Izuku’s torso and from where it managed to travel to those delicate milky white thighs.

He knew he was having several wars with himself; one being his quirk, and another was having the temptation to kiss and worship every beautiful freckle on the boy’s body.

It would only be possible and right if he had Izuku’s consent, not when he was sleeping. So he forcefully cut off the quirk, causing it to go back into his chest. It hurt like a _bitch_ , but All for One would endure it. 

It took a good minute for the pain to subside, but it eventually wore off.

He let out a sigh. Thinking about the events that went on before he had come back.

_Tomura wanted to launch an attack on UA, but what would that mean for little Izuku? If Izuku got hurt, I don't know what I would do…_   
_I know I'm supposed to be changing, but I've already introduced the boy to the villian world, and even got him into that specific mindframe. I could try to get him to settle down, but it would raise some questions if I tried to change his mind once more._

_If Tomura met Izuku, would he maybe change? I'm sure anyone could see the good in the world if they've met the little flower. Though, I can never be too sure of what that boy would do once they met. If things went well, I'm certain Izuku would love the extra company. This would be a whole year away so I can just worry about it some other time._

Eventually, All For One joined Izuku and succumbed to the call of sleep.


	4. Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so the training begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! No, I am not dead, just had to take a trip that had me separated from my laptop for around 2 weeks, BUT I still worked on the fic when I could.
> 
> There's a few things I need to cover that will be in the End Notes- Besides that, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Something smells good, like miso soup, yet it also smells like peppermint._ _And it feels like I'm on my own personal heated blanket- except, it doesn't seem to be made with cotton. What is that?_

An amused chuckle startled Izuku, causing him to awaken further.

_Wait...don't tell me.._

“Good morning, little one. Did you sleep well?”

Izuku slowly opened his eyes, now seeing that he was not, in fact, laying down, but being held up with one large arm. He was not feeling a blanket either, but Sensei’s bare back while his head rested on the man's shoulder. Out of fright, he couldn't help but jerk back, causing All For One’s grip to slip as he fell out of the man's hold.

This was followed by Midoriya’s head hitting the edge of the stove and then he, himself hitting the floor with a hard thud. All For One became greatly alarmed, immediately dropping to his knees and cradling the boy.

“I am so sorry Izuku, I didn't mean for that to happen, are you alright?” he rambled out, thoroughly checking for any concerning injuries. “Shit, you’re bleeding. Hang on.” 

The man only got a groan in return. Using the telekinesis quirk along with one that helped him identify objects by touch, he frantically pulled out each drawer around the island, looking for the extra stash of bottles and a cloth that was stored in the kitchen.

Izuku tried moving, but hissed in pain as his skull and spine were the main points that took the blow. 

“I don't advise trying that until we get you fixed up, my dear.” All For One said, sounding panicked and regretful as he finally got the vial in reach. Popping the cap off, he put some on the cloth and cautiously cleaned the back of his head, then raised the bottle to the boy’s mouth while making sure he was propped up enough.

Izuku never minded the palate of the substance, it's just, all things considered, he hates the weekly process of refilling so many bottles- since he uses so much throughout the day. Only using a mere 2-3 bottles every day adds up to him having to refill at least 10-20 vials every week. It might not sound that hard, but the task alone can take hours to complete.

Izuku sighed in relief as all of the pain almost instantaneously subsided, allowing him to carefully get up with All For One by his side, ensuring he wouldn't get hurt again.

“Are you alright? I am so sorry Izuku, I wasn't thinking and did not foresee that happening. I should've been more careful. Is there any remaining pain, any headache, or even nausea? That was all my fault, I promise it won't happen again-”

Izuku held his hand up, leaning on the counter “It's okay Sensei, I’m fine. My quirk fixed me right up, because if it didn't, then there would clearly be something wrong. And technically, I was at fault as well. “

All For One gently ruffled the boy's hair, letting out a long exhale of content. ”I'm glad you're okay now, that was a pretty hard hit to the head, little one. Anyways, I was just making some miso soup and rice for breakfast, care to have some?”

“Yes please.” he nodded.

“Quick question, though.”

The man let out a hum in response. 

“What's the time?”

All For One checked his watch,” A quarter till eight, why do you ask?”

Izuku began to panic.

“What?? I'm supposed to be there by eight at the _latest_. What happened to my seven o’clock alarm?”

“Calm down, I'm sure there's no rush to be wherever you're supposed to be. Whoever you're supposed to meet up with can wait, and if they have a problem with that, then they can complain all they want, but it's not going to change anything.”

He thought for a minute, then muttered out “I can just text him and just say I'll be a bit late, but that'll be less time to train for UA.”

“Hold on there little one. You have almost a year to prepare, losing a few minutes isn't going to hurt anything.”

Izuku could only mumble out a small ”I suppose…”

All For One grabbed three small wooden bowls for the soup and three glass dishes for the rice. Then, he put them on the side counter of the stove, starting to put everyone's breakfast together.

“I'm sure that oversized feline is still asleep. So Izuku, would you mind waking up Z and telling him to get downstairs, or he won’t get his share of food?”

“Sure. Where's the spray bottle?”

He chuckled out, ”I like the way you think little one- it's underneath the sink.”

“‘K, I shall return soon- most likely being chased- so pray for me.”

Izuku bounded off, a spray bottle filled with water in hand and a mischievous grin on his face. It wasn't often, but every once in a while he manages to snag a chance at revenge for Xy’s pranks. One of Midoriya’s favorites, waking up Xy with a spray bottle, which is precisely what he intends to do.

The trip isn't too long, but Midoriya doesn't mind either way, he's too busy trying to muffle his own laughs so Xy doesn't wake up before he can “attack”. The door’s closed and, unfortunately, Z isn't that heavy of a sleeper. Izuku ever so carefully twists the doorknob on the right door, and steadily pushes it open.

There he is, the king of naps peacefully sleeping in his overly large cocoon bed- the frame itself was made of a sturdy yet lightweight stone, while inside of the den like contraption was a fluffy mattress-like cushion covered in blankets and anything warm. Hell, the guy had been picky enough to order a custom heating pad to put under the cushion.

Xy was sprawled out in the middle of his bed, yet somehow he had also managed to stay asleep while hanging halfway out. This would've been a blackmail/payback photo if Izuku had his phone, but he had no idea where it was. _Probably in my room or the movie room_ …

Quietly approaching Xy, he raised the bottle, held his breath and fired away. Xy jolted awake, almost hitting his head on the edge of the low-hanging opening. Instead, he tumbled out of the cocoon and onto the hard floor.

“ _Aghh_ , fucking shit!”

Izuku burst out laughing, knowing he should probably start booking it by now, but he couldn't help himself. Though, with Xy being tangled up in one of his fuzzy blankets, he has more time to run, so it's fine. 

“You- better start- running now _rodent_ , because when I get out of this, you're _dead_. You hear me- dead!” He stated, while struggling to get out the mess that is _supposed_ to keep him warm, not _trap_ _him_. 

Izuku only got into another fit of giggles while blowing a raspberry at him, before he decided it was time to go and took off sprinting. Right as Izuku made it down the first hallway, he could then hear Xy’s quick footsteps chasing after him. Izuku pushed himself to go faster as he knew Z would catch up if he didn’t. Each turn became frantic and rushed as he had slid multiple times and knocked into a different wall every time. Midoriya knew his shoulders and sides would be in pain later, but the present adrenaline coursing through him blocked out any of it at the time. 

The longer he ran, the closer Xy’s footsteps became- he didn't dare look back.

“Get fucking back hither and face the consequences of your actions!” Z screeched, rushing down the corridors and through the hallways.

“Never!” he shouted back, racing to the kitchen as fast as his legs could go.

They were nearing the stairways back downstairs to where Izuku knew he would be safe from Xy’s wrath. Right as he got close enough, he summoned a bubble around himself- Just big enough to roll on the railings. When Izuku reached the bottom, he dispersed the bubble immediately and bolted for the kitchen.

“That's cheating you little shit!” Xy gasped out, making it to the bottom of the stairs, still racing after the greenette.

“All’s fair in love and war, Z!” Izuku squeaked, taking no hesitation to hide behind All For One, who looked concerned yet amused.

“I told you I would be back soon, and I retrieved him like you asked.”

Midoriya smiled, still using the man as a shield while the ravenette stood in the entryway- if looks could kill, he would be dead three times over by now. 

“That is _not_ how you wake someone up, and you know it Izuku- this is the third time this week, damnit.”

He poked his head into view, “Well, just think of it as karma for the pranks you've done. As it _is_ only fair you receive _some_ payback for the stuff you've pulled.”

“Settle down you two, if you keep going back and forth like this, by the time you're done, your food will be cold.” All For One intervened. 

Xy grabbed his rice dish, and ate with an annoyed expression while he tapped his foot in irritation, muttering something Izuku couldn't understand.

“Please don't speak with your mouth full. And Izuku?”

“Yes?” he responded with his bowl of rice already halfway gone.

All For One set his own dish down to pull something out of one of the pant pockets.

_My phone!_

“It had been left in your room and I knew you would be wondering about its whereabouts, so I took it upon myself to hold on to it until you woke up this morning.”

“Thank you Sensei.” he said, taking back the small device.

Izuku scrolled through his contacts, trying to find Mr. Yagi’s, noting that the time read 7:47.

**Me: Good morning Yagi-san! I might be a little late this morning since I missed my alarm. I hope that's ok.**

He only had to wait a few seconds before the screen read, _Yagi-san is typing…_

**Yagi-san: That's quite alright young Midoriya, don't worry about it too much.**

**Me: Kk. Well I'll see you then sir! ^^**

He ate at a quick yet steady pace, not wanting to keep Mr. Yagi waiting longer than he has to- as always, though, Sensei’s cooking never ceases to amaze Izuku. 

After putting both dishes in the sink, Midoriya raced out of the kitchen, upstairs, and to his room to find an outfit for the day. It was one of the warmer seasons, so shorts and a simple loose shirt should suffice. He decided to go with his signature red shoes, a pair of black knee-length boy shorts and a green, silky long sleeve. It was a light material so it should protect his arms from the sun while he stayed cool.

He grabbed his phone and a smaller vial of tears(just in case) and put them both in his pockets. Before he put his phone in though, Izuku checked to see just how much time had passed- it was only 8:04, so technically he wouldn't be _that_ late.

Dashing back down stairs and into the kitchen, Midoriya, out of breath, gasped out, ”Hey...Z, can you-”

“I already gotchu covered bunny boy.” Xy said, gesturing behind him.

“Thanks. And I told you to stop calling me that.”

“I told you to not wake me up like a prick, but here we are.”

Izuku had the urge to roll his eyes, but instead, he quickly waved to All For One and went through the portal.

* * *

The crisp, cool breeze along with the warm air made his morning enjoyable. The fact that he was going to help Izuku get into UA and they would be able to hang out more often, made it even better.

After Izuku had accepted his offer and once he arrived home, Yagi set to work on the plan for each step of the boy’s journey. He went as far as the specific diet Izuku would need, ensuring there was an emergency medical set in his car if the boy were to get hurt moving some of the debris, and even a sleep schedule so he would have plenty of rest. 

Hopefully the kit wouldn't mind. 

Yagi had arrived at the beach around Seven and waited, but got a text later informing him that Midoriya would be late, along with an apology. 

The kit was well mannered as well as considerate, two traits not enough people had these days. 

Not even half an hour passed after Yagi had gotten the message as he leaned on the railing in his smaller form, taking in the sunrise, until a dull ‘ _Whoom’_ sounded beside him. The muted white glow from the portal illuminated a good few feet around it, and not too long after it opened, out stepped Midoriya.

He bounded over to Toshinori with a large grin on his face, “Mr. Yagi, good morning! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.”

“Good morning to you young Midoriya. Don't worry, I understand some things can't be helped.” 

He turned and started to walk towards the stairway leading to the trashed beach, gesturing for Izuku to follow.

“This is where I'll be training? But, it's kind of...well, to put it bluntly, trashed.” Izuku pointed out.

“Ah, yes. That's the point my boy, cleaning up the beach as community service will build up your strength and return this place back to its former glory. “

Stepping onto the sand, Izuku replied, “Oh, that's right, this place has been trashed for years now. Especially with people taking advantage of the currents and illegally dumping their trash here. Most heroes only fight flashy villains and show off, but just helping communities is hero work, even if it is boring- I get it now, this would be like my first step at becoming a hero...Right?”

Toshinori buffed up into his All Might form, definitely not showing off, and gladly confirmed, **“That's exactly right young man! you'll be clearing this entire section of the beach!”**

Izuku looked around, taking in just how much debris there was- it piled up several feet, towering over the massive form of even All Might himself. “Um, that's a lot All Might, it kind of seems impossible...”

**“Calm down, I'm confident you'll achieve this, my boy! You told me you wanted to aim for UA, right?”**

He nodded with enthusiasm, ”Of course, sir! So many great heroes have gone there, including you, so it has to be the best school- I know it's a long shot with my quirk, but I still want to aim for the top.”

**“That's the spirit, my boy!**

“But, sir, are you sure I'll be able to do that in only 10 months?”

**“No need to worry young Midoriya,”** he pulled out a stack of papers, **”I've gotcha covered, with my** **_American Dream To Pass Plan_ ** **! Follow this, and the beach will be cleaned in no time! Though, I did also go ahead and plan a few other aspects to ensure success!”**

He handed the papers to Izuku, who skimmed through the contents. The boy read through, reading the _Daily Schedule(Including Weekends), Meal Plan,_ and even the _Sleep Schedule._

_All Might is really a considerate person. He saw to it that my progress was steady, yet I was prepared by the time the entrance exam came around._

The blond rubbed behind his neck, his “ears” seemingly leaning back, **”Although, if I'm being honest, I'm not the most experienced coach- are you sure you want me to train you, my boy?”**

“It's okay All Might, I'm sure you'll do great!”

Izuku looked around once more, one hand on his chin in thought, taking in his surroundings, ”But, er- Sir, where am I supposed to start exactly?”

**“Anywhere is fine, young Midoriya,”** he said, walking over to an old and rusty refrigerator, **”Though since it is your first day, why don't I give you a”** he slowly started to push down on the appliance, steadily crushing it while his arm flexed, showing off each muscle. 

**“head...START!”** It flattened down to a metal heap, while other waste cleared around it, making a decent patch of pure sand.

_Holy shit, that was awesome_

“One more question, All Might….” Izuku said, almost apologetically.

**“What would that be my boy?”**

“If I get the chance to, could I use my quirk to help me and try to improve it?”

**“Of course! Quirk and strength training would go great together! Just make sure you're not completely dependent on your quirk during this, or else there won't be the same results. Got it?”**

“Yes, sir!” he responded with determination and set to work, grabbing armfuls of the smaller litter and putting a translucent green bubble around it. 

This continued, each large bubble full of the smaller garbage was put into a separate pile- After around five or six of these stacked up, Izuku ran them up the stairs and all the way to a dumpster that was put near the beach. Fortunately, with all the lighter trash in bubbles, it took off some weight off his load. Although, after a few rounds of the back-and-forth trips, it became quite tiring- which was the point, so Izuku couldn't really complain much.

When it looked like he was exhausted, All Might would shout words of encouragement. Each little cheer gave Izuku more and more motivation to keep going. 

He stopped at around twelve to take a short break and rehydrate with the sweet, sweet cold water All Might had packed in a small cooler that he had put in his car that morning. However, the man himself only drank half the bottle before completely crushing it and cooling himself off with the rest of it. To say it was difficult to not stare at the already skin-tight shirt he was wearing would be an understatement itself; With it being soaked, partially revealing that ripped chest and torso, it was damn near impossible.

Izuku wasted no time in going back to work as his face became flushed at the pleasant sight. 

This time, he hauled some of the heavier rubbish by hand, straining himself even more as All Might continued to shout words of encouragement. Izuku thought working harder would give him a distraction, but he was _wrong_ yet again- the more his deep and soothing voice praised Midoriya for his work, the more he struggled to think _straight._

_Focus Izuku, focus! Don't prove that blond jerk right that you’re a deku!_

Using provided rope, Midoriya stacked and tied two freezers together, then worked on dragging them across the shoreline. He could only move at a moderately slow pace, as everything was quite heavy for someone his size; especially without his powers to give him the extra boost. 

All Might checked the time while he waited for Midoriya to finish with the two appliances. Two more hours had already passed, making the time 2:13.

**“Young Midoriya!”**

Izuku paused from pulling the freezers, and looked at Yagi with curiosity.

**“After you finish with that last haul, you can be done for the day. We wouldn't want you to completely exhaust yourself the first day now, would we?”**

“No, sir.” he replied, picking back up the rope and resuming to lug the rusty machines. It didn't take too long once Izuku finally heaved the heavy weight up the stairs and decided to use a bubble for the rest of the trip down the sidewalk.

He ran back to where All Might waited, who was still on the shoreline. He ruffled Izuku's hair, “Good work today my boy, for only six hours, you put in a pretty big dent in the debris! I’m proud of you.”

Midoriya could feel his heart squeeze- it wasn't everyday that you got to directly hear your idol say something like that. 

“I'm sure you're quite tuckered out my boy, so why don’t I drive you home?”

"Actually sir, I'll be ok, I can just text Z to pick me up."

All Might nodded in understanding, Izuku took that as his cue to contact his lazy yet tidy caretaker.

**Me: Training for today is over, can you come pick me up?**

**FurryPrick: Why, does your boyfriend not have a car?**

**Me: he's not my boyfriend! But yes, I'm like 99% sure he has a car.**

**FurryPrick: Ok then, get him to drive you home. Besides, it's a**

**good chance for you to show off the crib.**

**Me: Wait, why can't you just open one of your portals?? And never call the mansion "the crib" again.**

**FurryPrick: Because I'm too tired and I don't feel like it.**

**Anyway, enjoy your time with Prince charming~**

**Me: wait, you can't do that!**

**[FurryPrick is offline.]**

Izuku quietly groaned, quickly becoming irritated with Xy.

_Wait, spending more time outside of training with All Might? This is an opportunity, an opportunity I will not pass up, and technically can't now...Screw you, yet Thank you Z, you overgrown housecat_.

"Actually, it looks like I'll have to take you up on that offer after all, Mr. Yagi.” he voiced, trying not to sound too embarrassed.

**"Something came up?"**

"If you call taking a nap being busy, then yeah." 

**"Ah, I see."** he chuckled.

All Might internally celebrated that the boy agreed, completely oblivious to the other party’s internal triumph and struggle. Though, once they began walking back up to the sidewalk, All Might leading the way once more as Izuku happily bounded after, the blond switched from joy to panic in the blink of an eye.

_Wait, what will Izuku think of my car? I know it was a gift from Mirai, but it's an expensive model….Will he like it? Will he think I'm some rich prick and resent me? Only one way to find out._

They soon reached the small parking lot, and in it sat a singular, sleek-red, Toyota Supra with tinted windows. 

His nerves grew with each second of Midoriya’s silence- He tried thinking of an explanation, much less what to say but nothing came to mind. 

“A Supra, Japan only has six of these manufactured once production was put to a stop so soon. Because each car was worth so much, no one could really afford them, so you never get to see these in the streets, especially this model- mom tried to find one for the longest time, but she never had any luck. Though, you _were_ in America for a little while, so I suppose it was easier to obtain this version..” 

He...sounded exuberant? Toshinori’s blond tufts lightly twitched in joy– he wondered what else he could do to see the boy become so ecstatic. The kid _was_ an All Might fan (the hoodie was kind of a give away), so maybe he could show Midoriya around the agency sometime. _Wait, no. The kid might like the car, but the Might Tower is a whole other ballpark. One step at a time Toshi._

Izuku padded closer to the vehicle, ghosting his hand over the hood. ”Even the paint job is intricately done...some sort of coat must've been used to prevent any tarnish.”

He switched back to his smaller form, responding, “I'm not too sure, but you're probably right.”

Toshinori opened the passenger door, signaling for Midoriya to climb in. Izuku complied, giving a quiet “thank you” before Yagi closed it and occupied the driver's seat.

As he turned the key, the powerful engine roared to life, and despite the intense rumbling throughout the car , very little noise was present.

He handed Midoriya his phone so the boy could put his address in the GPS; the trip would take a little over an hour and a half, therefore they had time to kill. Which wasn't exactly 100% of a good thing if you were a nervous lil bean like Izuku, as that just meant more time for him to somehow screw things up and/or embarrass himself more than he already has.

Now looking at the directions, Toshinori realized why Midoriya didn't take the trains anywhere. He just had no way of doing so, as half of the trip was through the mountains and forest. 

_The kit did mention it when they went to that café, but I thought it was closer to the city than that..._

For a good bit, both quietly sat, the only sound was the low volume radio and the hum of the motor. It was a comfortable yet awkward silence, however, Izuku wanted to start a conversation. The only problem being he didn't know how, and just overall couldn't think of anything to say. On one hand, he wanted to get to know Mr. Yagi more, but on the other, he didn't want to be too pushy and overstep boundaries.

He could start with something simple, just to get things rolling, like talking about the weather. But that's just a bit desperate, and kind of a dumb way to start in Midoriya's opinion. Especially since it was horrible, because not even a few minutes of driving later, it started raining.

_I have to make it casual, and nothing too subtle or out of the blue. What could I say or ask? I could get answers on his hair tufts, but that could be too straight forward, so I'll have to wait on that. What about the fight? I've never heard about it online or in the news, much less heard about it until Sensei told me… though, that could also be too personal, no that's a no-go._

_That's it!_

"All Mi- er, Yagi-San, how are y-ou feeling? Any concerns or anything new si-nce Friday?"

"Not that I'm aware of besides the fact that I'm able to hold my form without any pain or strain; overall I feel and look so much healthier than before. I am curious now, is there anything I _should_ be worried about? _"_ he asked, in a bit of a playful tone.

"Wha- oh no! It's just sometimes, when consumed, my quirk takes on a few- er, odd side effects... Not that it's anything dangerous, but the healing aspect of my quirk can be a bit random. Normally the side effects, if there were any, would show up immediately after consumption, but I was just wanting to be safe and make sure it didn't give you any trouble andI'mrantingagainimsorry..."

Yagi gave a lighthearted chuckle, ruffling Midoriya's hair with one hand still on the wheel.

_So soft, almost more so than yesterday._

"That's quite alright, my boy- I had asked, and you answered, no harm done."

Midoriya nodded, thinking for a minute before speaking again, “One more question, if you don't mind answering?"

"Fire away."

"I understand you're trying to help me prepare for the exam and all, but why? I'm sure your schedule is already hectic as it is, so why go out of your way for some kid you met a few years ago? Not that I'm ungrateful or anything! I'm just a bit curious."

"I understand what you were trying to say, it's ok. As for why I'm doing this, to put it simply and honestly, you've saved my life. I've grown weaker throughout the years, and I might have only had one more good year before I was forced to retire. Of course, since I was weaker, I could only do so much hero work, and that led to a higher crime rate over the years. But now, I'm as good as new, and I can go back to being the great Symbol of Peace again. So, if it helps, think of this training as a way I can thank you."

Midoriya murmured a response that he couldn't make out.

Yagi made a left turn, heading into the mountain part of the trip. The forest itself looked strangely peaceful, like somewhere you could go to just think in a calming silence. A few Sakura trees scattered along the edges rained petals and small blooms that covered a small percent of the path they drove on. Various bunches of bamboo could be seen every so often as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yagi noted how Midoriya would fidget with his hands, and occasionally open his mouth like he wanted to say something, but closed it again. Izuku seemed like a naturally nervous individual– it was cute.

Neither spoke the rest of the drive- the silence wasn't as heavy as it could've been, so Izuku was grateful for that. However, he wasn't too keen on seeing Mr. Yagi's reaction to his… house. He had no clue as to what the blonde's response would be, and that absolutely _terrified_ him. He really did not want the man to think he was some snobby rich kid just because of Hisashi’s choices.

He honestly would've been fine with a modest home or even an apartment, but nope. His father always had to have an excuse so he would stay in Japan.

_Not like I wanted to go to America anyway…_

**_"Take a right, and you have arrived at your destination."_ **

_Damnit._

Taking the last turn, Yagi quickly pulled into a massive driveway, leading to a long strip of garage doors. Connecting to the garages was a massive 3 story mansion with walls that looked to be made of cobblestone. Multiple outside lights illuminated the pool in front of the structure in a yellow glow. Because of the rain, it was darker outside, making the glow more visible.

Izuku unbuckled, but hesitated to open the door.

"Th-anks for the ride Yagi-san. I apologize for the inconvenience… If I had known Z was resting today, I could’ve-"

"Nonsense Midoriya-shounen, it would've been bad if you had to walk in the rain. Besides, I enjoyed our extra time together, so there's no need to apologize. Any time you can't travel otherwise, you have my number, I'd be happy to help out and give you a lift."

Midoriya partially opened the door, halfway out of the seat.

"I-I'll keep that in mi-nd. Again, um, thank you, and I'll see you Tuesday sir."

"Just text me if you need anything, and enjoy your night, my boy."

Izuku got out the rest of the way and closed the car door, waving as Toshinori pulled out of the driveway and drove off, giving his own wave in return with a smile. Izuku ran down the stone stairs leading to and from the second floor balcony, as the driveway was level with the second floor. He checked his phone, reading the time as 3:48 which meant Xy was most likely going to prepare dinner in another hour or so.

_Perfect, I'll have the time to show him what he needs to cook tonight… and for the next 10 months._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Ik my writing style is a bit cringey right now, but it should hopefully improve by the time UA time comes around since I have more planned out.  
> 2) For your much greatly appreciated patience, I will be doing a double update.  
> 3) I have a discord server for discussing the fic+ spoilers and here's the link if u want it. https://discord.com/channels/710228356624416909/710228357140447234  
> if the link doesn't work, my discord user is MomFriend#5577  
> 4) I'm gonna guess that I'll be able to update every 1-2 weeks at the earliest, and if I'm really busy one week, itll be a month at the latest(hopefully)
> 
> Expect the Ch 5 to be out in the next day or so, but I wanted to go ahead and post this chapter.  
> Anyway, have a great day/night, and I shall see you wonderful beings later!


	5. Combat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More training. yayyyy.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry that this wasn't out sooner...right after posting chapter 4, I didn't have any internet for my laptop, so I've been unable to post this until now. Forgive me flower children ;- -
> 
> Again, if you missed it since I added it in later...if you are unable to join the server with the link, my discord is MomFriend#5577. 
> 
> That is all and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

He opened the door and walked in, being met with silence for a minute until Z poked his head out of the kitchen, peering into the entry hall. 

"Welcome back short-shit, how was training?"

"Exhausting."

"Good, that's the point."

"I know." _Odd, usually he tackles me before I could get into the door_ "Um, where's Sensei? Doesn't he usually help you with dinner?"

"He's still here, it's just that Suit'n'Tie is busy with some stuff in the office room. And besides, I'm occupied with something else right now."

"Why is he in the office room ?"

Xy strode back into the kitchen, Izuku followed to stand by the doorway. Xy hesitated on his answer, grabbing cleaning supplies to tidy up a kitchen that was already spotless on a normal daily basis.

_Perfectionist._

"Paperwork."

Midoriya crossed his arms, getting a bit impatient. "For what?"

"Stuff."

"You're not very helpful y'know. I'm just curious as to what he's up to, so I don't understand why you're being so anonymous about this. You know what, I'll just go find out myself. " he huffed, turning to walk out and to where Sensei was located.

"I told him."

Izuku slightly paled, but tried to stay calm. "Wh-at exactly did y-ou tell him?"

"Calm your tits, I haven't said anything about _that_ ... _yet_ . But I did talk to him about how the bullying is getting worse, and we both agreed as soon as you get out of that school, he _will_ file a lawsuit against Aldera whether you like it or not."

"We've talked about this Z, you don't even have any physical evidence that they've done anything. All my injuries are shallow enough to the point where any scarring would disappear the first time I use one of the bottles, and you have no access to the cameras. "

A small smirk made itself known on Z's face.

"You've gotta be kidding me, how??"

"Not yet, but we will have access to those records soon enough- that and all those _gifts_ you keep getting here lately are enough physical evidence as it is."

"But I throw those out– either way, I'm still confronting Sensei about this. And don't give me that look Mr. I-Love-the-Kitchen More-Than-Socializing."

Xy only flipped him off in response before going back to wiping off the spotless counters. Izuku sighed and made his way to the also overly large office room.

He rapped his knuckles on the wood twice before hearing a muffled and irritated, "What is it?"

"Hey Sensei, I'm back from training. "

Heavy, but quick footsteps sounded behind the door, only giving Midoriya a brief warning before the door was swung open and he was pulled into an embrace.

"Izuku! You were gone for so long." He exclaimed, all agitation forgotten for the moment.

"I've only been out for about six or seven hours. "

"That's seven too many, my dear."

Midoriya laughed softly, "You're so dramatic sometimes."

"Oh, how you wound me, little one." All For One bluntly said, throwing up one arm and putting the back of his hand to his forehead for flair.

"Yeah, well, that's not the only reason why I'm here."

"Oh?"

Izuku's demeanor switched to serious, "Two things: One, Z told me what you two plan to do once I finish this year of jr. High."

"You should know it's inevitable. That shit-hole of a school has what's coming to them."

"But-"

"Measures need to be taken, my dear. When we win the case,” _when, not if_ “maybe other places like Aldera will see what happens if they continue the horrible discrimination put unto others who are different from themselves. Civilians with villainous quirks, weak ones, invisible ones, hell, even those who don't have a quirk should be able to live freely without being put down everyday- you know, such as yourself, who has to hide their quirk for some idiotic reason. But they don't know that, do they?"

Izuku shook his head, "No."

All For One continued on, "Speaking of which, why do your quirks overall have to be secret? It's not like having a damn shield or making holograms is gonna kill anyone. Not that I'm defending the kid- and I hate to say it- but your relationship with that blond brat might've ended up better in the long run if he was at least told you had a quirk. Honestly, you wouldn't have even had to deal with this discrimination if you weren’t forced to pose as quirkless."

"Um, sensei-"

"This is one of the reasons why I stole quirks from those who were unworthy of keeping it and gave them to the ones who deserve it- They become too dependent on their power and eventually put down the ones who have weak quirks, much less no quirk at all.”

"Se-nsei." Izuku said, this time a bit louder.

"Yes, little one?"

Midoriya slightly wheezed, "You're squishing me."

All For One realized now that his wrap around the flower had been slowly getting tighter, almost constricting the boy. He immediately let go, allowing Izuku to breathe.

"Oh dear, I didn't realize I had been doing that. " he said apologetically.

"It's okay, sensei."

"Now, what was that other thing you wanted to discuss with me?"

Izuku pulled out the thick packet All Might gave him earlier, flipping to the _Weekly Schedule_ section. It was set every other day that he would be doing strength training- weekends were included. He handed All For One the packet, "I was wondering if we could do combat training on the days I'm not working on strength training, since I won't be home until late."

He looked through, eventually flipping to the other sections, noting the specific diet, exercise and sleep schedule marked down.

_What even is all of this,...some of this is a fully American meal. Ugh. Americans eat pure grease and sugar as half of their diet. Disgusting._

"That'll be just fine, though while we're on that subject little one, I've been thinking it over for a bit since we discussed what type of fighting you wanted to do. And, I don't think dance fighting suits you."

Izuku slightly cocked his head to the side, looking up at All For One, "What do you mean?"

"Not that I'm saying your choice was wrong, it's just, I think sword training and a bit of hand to hand combat would be better fitting."

"Is part of your reasoning because my quirk lets me create shields? " he said almost assumingly.

The man chuckled. "I suppose you could say that, yes."

"If you think about it, part of my hero costume could look like a knight since I would have the sword and shield aspect down. I could try to subtly add a doctor flair to it while I'm at it...wait. IGottaWriteThisDown!" Izuku rambled, about to turn and hightail it to get one of his notebooks. But before he could, All For One used his telekinesis quirk to turn the boy back around and face him.I

"Now hold on there my dear, you'll have plenty of time for that later. Right now, you should probably give that meal plan to Z and then rest. I'm sure you're exhausted from training for just about six hours straight." (Ha, straight.)

" But-"

"Nope. Working hard is great, but rest and relaxation is just as important. Besides, you have more training tomorrow, so off you go."

He gave Izuku the papers, spun him around and nudged him in the direction of the kitchen. Midoriya only huffed in slight annoyance and mumbled out a “fine”, before he went to see Xy. Again.

Their conversation didn't last long, it mainly just consisted of Izuku telling him about the strict meals he'll have to cook, Xy with a straight face underlining the "D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.? " on his shirt, and then resuming his thorough cleaning of the entire kitchen. Midoriya put the meal list on the marble-top island and left to retreat to his room.

Izuku knew it was still early, only a little past four, but he really needed to organize a bunch of info before he forgot about it. His All Might calendar that hung right above his work desk was flipped to April, only the first two weeks had been crossed out. Izuku took a red gel pen and crossed out Friday through Saturday, and then read over the work out days. It was Sunday, so for the next two weeks he would spend the first Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, training with All Might- on the second week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday would also be training with him; and then it would reset again back to Sunday.

The rest of the time, he would be doing combat training with Sensei, though he wasn't sure which style they would be working on first. Izuku labeled each day with a small AM or S in the corner of each square, just so he could keep track and lessen the chance of any future mix-ups.

When he was done, he took a good, long shower to get rid of any sweat and grime from pushing around trash. With his towel still around his neck, Izuku went to work on organizing the notes he did in class Friday.

Right as he finished at around 5:30 Z retrieved him for dinner and, luckily, he had actually cooked one of the meals Izuku was supposed to eat; a bowl of steamed rice topped with plenty of fish and two eggs. The other two ate yakitori and tempura with separate bowls of rice- normally, Xy never minded if he had to make two separate meals, as cooking was a hobby he took up when he wasn't napping or busy with something else. 

And though it would make sense to eat in the dining room/at the table, the trio never really bothered. They made it a habit to eat in the kitchen, as it was a smaller room and in turn seemed less empty, even with only three people.

After dinner, All For One retreated to the office room, Xy put up leftovers and cleaned up any mess that was left from eating, and Izuku went back to his room. Days where the mansion was overall silent weren't too often, but it was normal enough. It was a mutual agreement that sometimes, the quietness was nice and everyone just needed some time to themselves at times. The following day could be the same, or it could be filled with sound such as shouting, calm voices, laughter, or even the near silent whispers uttered in some part of the building.

Izuku wouldn't have it any other way, it was always better than living alone, spending hours in silence, until he eventually gave up all hope.

They were a pretty well-functioning group, surprisingly enough. Arguments were once in a blue moon, even then, it normally wasn't over anything extremely serious. 

Izuku worked on organizing any other notes or papers he didn't do before dinner for a good while. It was only 8:34 when he was done, but he had a feeling tomorrow would be a long day.

So he got up from his office chair, and slipped onto the circular bed. The mattress itself was made with some sort of specific memory foam (Izuku never cared to find out what it was called), and from the back to most of the front were partially hidden by canopy curtains. They were mostly see-through, but the pitch black hue on the fabric darkened the edges it draped in front of.

The mix of soft padding, low room lighting, and cloud-soft comforter put Izuku out like a lightbulb, all exhaustion only deepened that state.

_I'm going to be sore in the morning..._

* * *

Midoriya woke up to a deep, yet soft voice whispering "Izuku~ Wake up little one~ Rise and shine, my dear~" in a sing-song tone.

He groaned, still too tired to comprehend much, but still made an attempt to blink out the tired feeling from his eyes. The room was moderately lit, but Izuku could almost immediately tell that it was somehow still dark at the same time.

“Ugh, how...early did you...wake me up exactly..?” he slurred, trying to sit up, but winced feeling that he was right about being sore. It was only the first day, so yeah, Izuku kinda felt like shit. Yay.

“I know it's only 5:30, but I was too excited to teach you the art of hand to hand combat. Besides, like that American saying goes, the early bird gets the worm.”

Sensei sounded way too excited for whatever they were doing, and generally too hyper during such early hours.

“We have _so much_ to cover today, little one, so up and at ‘em! Once you're dressed, I'll be waiting in the gym.”

Izuku perked up, ”There's a gym?”

“Of course little one! Though, you never did care to go anywhere in the house that is insignificant, so it's understandable you didn't know. Z will show you where it is once you're ready,” he finished, getting up from the edge of the bed, and walking out of the room.

_It's a good thing I went to bed early last night…_

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes and groaning. Stepping onto the cold hard floor, Izuku dragged himself over to the walk-in closet. He should wear something breathable and comfortable, but appropriate for training- so a pair of black, fingerless latex gloves, a light grey tube top, and light grey sweatpants were what he put on. 

When he opened the door to his room, Xy was there leaning on the wall in front of it. Izuku, of course, wasn't expecting this, but an empty hallway so he jumped in surprise. 

“ _Agh!_ Dear gods Z, did you really have to scare me like that?”

The ravenette merely raised his eyebrow in return, ”But i didn't do anything, you're the one who gets easily startled.”

“Exactly, so you should know to not do that.”

Xy shrugged his shoulders, beginning to trudge down the hallway. “Whatever, let's just go. McOverlord hasn't shut up for almost half an hour, and my patience is too thin to deal with his boisterous attitude. The sooner we get there the sooner I can go back to napping, and later, don't bother waking me up, your bentos are in the fridge when you're ready to eat.”

Izuku followed, still confused, ”Hey Z, did you know we had a Gym?”

“Yeah actually, it took a while, but once when you were at school, I had finished cleaning all the rooms we normally use, and decided to at least dust the ones no one ever goes into. Not even two rooms later, I came across the gym, but never thought anything of it.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

Xy shrugged his shoulders again, ”It wasn't important and I honestly thought you knew already. But now, I realize you've lived here almost your whole life, but never once thought to explore the house- that's just amusing.”

“Well yeah, it wasn't important. And why would I care about extra rooms that remind me exactly how big this place is?” 

“Good point. Also, fun fact, the gym has two floors. The main workout room is downstairs, while the sparing room is upstairs.” he said. 

“I’m guessing Sensei is in the sparing room?”

“Yep” he confirmed, emphasizing the pop at the end.

"Y’know, I'm actually surprised you're not complaining about how much pain you're in.”

Izuku put his hand to his chest, almost offended, “ _Rude_ , you know for a fact I heal faster and have more stamina than average, so most of that soreness would've been pretty much fixed while I slept. Though I _am_ in pain, I'm not going to complain about it- I knew what I signed up for when I agreed to Mr.Yagi’s offer.”

“Fair enough.”

Several twists and turns later, they begin down a hallway that was unfamiliar to Izuku, stopping at a set of pristine white doors. Going in, Midoriya took note of his surroundings- one large, foam mat laid out in the middle of the room, at least three punching bags, and blank walls. It wasn't decorated that much besides any equipment, which was understandable. But that also included Sensei. He was nowhere to be seen. Both were a good few feet from the door when it shut with a slight _bang_.

Xy and Izuku jumped, turning around to see Sensei with one of his hands on the door, “Glad you could make it boys. Today, we’ll be testing your limits and skill to see where you stand. That, and what you need to work on the most.”

Xy looked beyond puzzled, immediately demanding, “Hold on, what are you talking about? Why did you say that as if I also have to take part in this?”

All For One grinned, ”That's because you do.”

“Why??”

“Come on, don't be like that, it'll be fun. Besides, if something happens, you two will be able to work together as a team. Which, might I add, is a very important component of a good hero” he explained, one hand still on the door, blocking the only exit besides the elevator leading to the lower floor of the gym.

Xy tried to protest, “But, I literally do not give two _fucks_ about being a hero- the only thing I _might_ concern myself with is shortstack’s safety once he goes to UA.”

“Which is precisely why one of the big points we'll be covering with you is a more convenient communication method.” Sensei stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

_Is this guy serious??... No, he has to be pulling my leg, he’s not THAT dumb._

_Right?_

“I'm not sure if you know this McOverlord, but you _should_ be aware that we have phones. That's what they're for, communication; or have you been living under a rock your whole life until now?”

The comment didn't seem to upset Sensei, only amuse him further, “Yes, I'm very aware of the advanced technology we use every day, but that's not what I meant.” He strode past the two, continuing. ”I'm talking about something more along the lines of some sort of summon. As an example, let's say Izuku doesn't have his phone or somehow even broke it-”

“That's only happened a few times.”

“Exactly. Anyway, like I was saying, what if Izuku were to be in danger, or injured, and had no way of calling for help? You're the quickest way of transportation, and the only one available 24/7. Yes, I know I have a type of teleportation quirk as well, but it's unpleasant to experience, inefficient, and I'm still trying to get used to it.”

Xy, crossed his arms, irritated, “I got it, I got it. Jeez. Regardless, how do you think pipsqueak could ‘call’ me if the time comes? I don't suppose you have a quirk for that.”

“No, I don't. Nor do I have a guaranteed plan that would work- I do have a few hunches that we will test, however, even those can't have but maybe a 40-50% chance of succeeding at best.”

Sensei stood in the middle of the foam mat, gesturing his hand forward in invitation, ”And don't think you can leave yet, I've used a quirk that will seal this room temporarily until we're finished.” 

Z muttered a low ”goddamnit”, before they hesitantly complied, almost dragging themselves further into the room.

But Xy didn't hesitate to smugly add, ”That's new, normally you understand what needs to be done in any situation, Suit’n’Tie. What happened to that all-knowing brain of yours?”

“I still have decades worth more of knowledge than you ever will, so hush. This is simply one of those rare occurrences where I am unable to quickly find a solution. That doesn’t mean I won’t find the answer in time. Nonetheless, for the moment you'll begin by learning to fight without your quirk. Once you have that down, we’ll slowly add the use of your quirk, finding unique ways for you to apply it, then perfecting those methods until it guarantees your win. Got it?”

_Shit, only Bunny was supposed to be doing this… So why in the hell do I have to be involved?_

“Yes Sensei,” Izuku chirped.

“Of course, _my liege_.”

“Good, now this brings us into Lesson 1: Defense and Offense.”

“But isn't that like, the whole damn point of Hand to Hand combat or just fighting overall?”

Sensei sighed, not upset, but not very appreciative of Xy’s remarks. “Yes, and no. Fighting goes beyond simple defense and offense- there's endurance, finding weak spots, and using your size against your opponent, which are all lessons we will be going over in the future. So, without further ado, Izuku?”

Midoriya perked up from spacing out, “Yes?”

“I want you to attack me, and Z, wait on the sidelines until it's your go; though, as a warning, if you use your quirk, before I say you can when we’re training, that'll be _at least_ half an hour more of training. Do I make myself clear?” 

All For One’s tone had switched from friendly to authoritative, making it clear the next ten months of training would be absolute hell. 

The two boys were quick to answer with ”Yes, sir”.

_I did NOT sign up for this._

_“Hold on.”_

He hummed, acknowledging the other male.

“What about you, shouldn't you fight quirkless as well?”

“Of course, that would just make things too easy and eventually boring if I used any of my quirks while you two couldn’t. Besides, it’ll still be quite the challenge to win, even when I, too, fight quirkless” Sensei exclaimed with certainty, somehow managing to not sound like he was bragging.

Xy strode over to one of the walls, not looking forward to his turn, while Izuku took a fighting stance a few feet in front of All For One.

The man himself stood, body relaxed, and with a casual smile, simply said ”Lets begin.”

Midoriya ran at him, more terrified of what's going to happen to himself than hurting sensei, but still wore a determined expression, readying himself to aim a punch at the man. He swung his arm forward, aiming to hit near the ribs, but his wrist was instantaneously grabbed and pulled to the side, throwing him off balance. Before he could react Sensei swung to the right, sweeping his leg to hit behind the knee on the leg Midoriya still had on the ground, which caused him to fall, painfully hitting his back onto the mat.

“You okay?” All For One asked, genuinely concerned.

“Yeah.” Izuku huffed, getting up.

“Good. Now try again, but this time, try to block or counter my attacks. Just come at me when you’re ready.”

Izuku nodded, taking the same spot in front of Sensei, and took a deep breath. Exhaling, he charged once more, but waited for Sensei to throw the first punch...

”Z, make sure you're watching closely, mentally noting where he slips up, and what he does right” 

...which was aimed directly at his stomach.

_DontMessUpDontMessUpDontMessUpDontMessUpDontMessUp._

He attempted grabbing Sensei's wrist and pulling it forward at an angle, copying what the man used to knock him down. Unfortunately, things didn't go as Midoriya hoped.

“Nice try little one, but,” as the man's free hand shoved down on the back of his shoulders, forcing him to fall onto the mat face-first, ”you still left yourself open.”

As before, it hurt, but nothing felt broken so Izuku didn't worry about that part too much, just the throbbing pain in his ribs, nose and forehead.

* * *

They went a few more rounds, Izuku trying to copy the moves Sensei used, but the man had a new way of throwing him onto the ground each time. By the time they finished, fresh bruises littered around Izuku’s torso, legs and even a few around his face while Sensei didn't seem fazed at all. Izuku couldn't get a hit on him the whole time, so he was definitely unscathed, which was honestly a bit irritating. 

Midoriya limped over to the sidelines and Xy took his place in front of Sensei, his expression a mix of annoyance and uncertainty.

“Let's just get this over with,“ he grumbled, putting one leg back and both hands into fists, raised in front of him.

All For One wore the same casual look on his face, standing relaxed, “Like I told Izuku, just come at me whenever you're ready.”

_I am NOT about to be humiliated by this business man ripoff._

“Actually, you can deal the first blow.”

“Are you sure? I'm giving you a chance to at least _try_ to hit me.”

Z nodded, grinning like he had something planned, though Sensei didn't care to concern himself with it.

“Alright then, have it your way.” he sighed, and without hesitation, lunged at Xy. 

When All For One swung his arm full-force towards him, Z twisted his body sideways to dodge, but didn't move fast enough and still ended up getting a good percentage of the original strike. Wincing, but not taking any chances, he grabbed the man's forearm and bicep, and used it as leverage to swing himself up and onto Sensei's back. Before he could do anything else, both of his own forearms were being pulled forward, his body being _yanked_ over and _slammed_ down onto the ground. Despite the foam mat to lessen the impact, the air was knocked out of Xy’s lungs as he let out a stifled cry. 

From the sidelines, Izuku cringed, no doubt there would be some _heavy_ internal bruising later.

Z could only lay there and wait for the stabbing pain to lighten up, and for his breathing to return to normal.

“That was smart , but you need to be lighter on your feet, or else any plan that would work in the future, will end up failing.”

“Fuck...you.” Z hissed, still in too much pain to stand, but slowly sat up, flipping off All For One.

* * *

Similar to Midoriya, Xy had to retry defeating Sensei for a good number of rounds until All For One decided they were done- he too had scattered bruises everywhere, which of course made it painful to move. Fun.

From a small bag Izuku failed to notice earlier, Sensei pulled out two water bottles and a tear-glass. It was one of the smaller vials that could easily fit into someone's pocket, something he made sure to keep plenty on hand. Sensei poured half of it in each bottle, securing the cap and shaking the bottles to mix it in before handing it to the younger males.

Luckily, mixing his quirk with other drinks never diluted the effects, the one consuming it would simply just have to drink the liquid plus whatever amount of extra beverage was added. It was easier anyway to get someone to drink it hidden as another refreshment like juice or tea, than having to explain that they had to drink tears.

Recovery Girl had to find that out the hard way since Izuku failed to mention anything about it beforehand, he got a lecture over it for at least an hour; he made sure to try avoiding making that mistake again.

Midoriya and Xy downed the water as quickly as they could, looking forward to the sweet, sweet relief of not being in constant pain, even if it was just bruises, and possibly cracked ribs.

Z grabbed his phone from the ground- where he left it to avoid breaking it- and checked the time.

_What the hell??_

It was already past noon, which meant they just got their asses handed to them for over six hours. It was no wonder that he felt like he just got _bulldozed_ by a semi-truck. Right after Sensei deactivated the barrier surrounding the room, Xy took no time making a portal to his own room to take a nap, despite the mini boost he got from Shortstack’s quirk. Nap time is nap time no matter what, whoever says otherwise is wrong.

Izuku and All For One went to get their bentos for lunch- Midoriya got two rice balls that were decorated to look like little rabbits, cubed teriyaki chicken and mini egg omelet cubes. Sensei opened his, but the happy expression shifted to slight annoyance, like it quietly said, “You've got to be kidding me.” Izuku didn't even have to ask before he was shown why the man was a tad irritated. His bento consisted of several slices of salmon and beef, and a boiled egg split in half, but what really stood out was the two rice balls. They were decorated with dried seaweed and other vegetables like Izuku’s, but instead of a cute animal, he got derpy faces.

Did Midoriya laugh? Yes. 

Did he feel bad afterward? A little bit. 

Was Sensei mad at him for laughing? Nah.

They washed their dishes when they finished, and Izuku was about to head towards his room when All For one spoke, “Little one.”

“Sir?”

_Dear god, if only he knew how it makes me feel when he calls me sir. He’s still such a well mannered little flower._

“You don't have to do it immediately, but before our next training day from now on, I want you to go over where you went wrong, and find the unique solution that could have prevented that mistake. Alright my dear?”

“Yes sir”

Sensei nodded, his que he could go, so Midoriya retreated to his room until dinner while the ex(ish) villain went to the office room to work on any paperwork he didn't do the day before. That and make a few calls to Kuroguri, keeping tabs on Tomura, making sure the young adult doesn't destroy anything important.

The rest of the day went fine, even dinner was at least fifty percent peaceful, well, until Izuku remembered he had to go to hell- er, I mean school. That was the one place where he was never safe, an “accident” just waiting to happen.

One more year, he only had to get through one more year of complete torture, and if he got into UA, it would all be worth it.


	6. The Joys of School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. :)

The pitch-black, obscure, and seemingly endless room felt warm, peaceful– almost soothing. The ground was solid, but it also felt like he was standing on water if that were even possible. Technically, with the right quirk, it could be, but that wasn't the point. The floor was most likely a mixture of both solid and liquid, he didn't pay much mind to it- it wasn't that important anyway.

Actually, nothing really felt important, as if he didn't have any care in the world while he was in this safe space.

Wanting to explore and see if this place actually had limits, he began to walk forward with not much for a sense of direction. That was, for maybe two steps until he walked into something solid, hitting his head in the process. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt, even though it probably should have to _some_ extent. He put his hands on the surface, trying to feel what it was. 

_A wall?_

It was flat and hard like steel or glass, and he tried knocking on the surface to possibly find out the material it was made of, but the sound was nothing he recognized.

Wandering the place still in mind, he kept one hand along the wall, and began to saunter, counting his steps instead of seconds as he went. Even time itself had no meaning since, along with direction, there wasn't much of a sense for it. Countless hours or simply a few minutes could’ve gone by at this point, but he wouldn't know, nor could he care.

Honestly, the only thing that he bothered with is trying to figure out if the place is actually dark, or if he just has his eyes closed and for some reason, he hasn't opened them yet. They feel open, but everything's so dark, so he can't tell. Hell, he can't even see his own hand in front-

_Nevermind…. That wasn't there before unless I’ve just been too spaced trying to figure this place out that I didn't notice earlier. Wait, why are my hands glowing?_

 **_I'm_** _glowing?.... Huh, cool. But why am I only wearing... Arabian pants? I mean, they're comfy, but still, I'm kind of like a human glow stick. Well, at least that means my eyes_ **_have_ ** _been open and it's just been really dark until now. Good to know._

His body and what little clothing he wore glowed, illuminating anything in a two-foot radius, which was basically nothing but the ground and the random wall he's been walking beside. He was a bit confused, but glad he at least had a light source- even if it were coming from himself.

He continued to wander, picking up count from where he left off, keeping his hand along the wall.

_...2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14..._

_...295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305-_

Ever so softly, a melody began to play, and it almost sounded like a music box, but he could be wrong. The song sounded familiar, though he couldn't remember a time he'd heard it before. The source seemed to be close, but where exactly? The direction sounded like it was in front of him, but with the low lighting, it was difficult to really see much of anything. He took off in a light run, but it only lasted so long since he was almost instantaneously tripped, landing face first. 

Again, it didn't hurt, which was surprising since normally, whenever something like that happened, his forehead and especially his nose would be throbbing by now. Either way, he didn't dwell on it- like much of the other odd logic this place had- but rather what he tripped on. As far as he knew, he was the only thing in this place, but time and time again, life proves him wrong. 

It wasn’t that big of a deal considering this time he won’t end up getting beaten for it or regretting thinking he was right, but instead only discovered he had tripped on a small, luminescent rabbit.

_A rabbit?... It's the source of that music I’ve been hearing. Odd, but I guess I can’t complain considering the fact that I’m literally glowing and, for some reason, shirtless._

It had moved up next to his shoulder and stayed sitting there, looking at him as if it were expecting him to do something.

He slowly sat up, moving to sit against the wall while trying to not make any sudden motions that might scare away the small ball of fluff-it hadn’t moved an inch, only waited patiently. When he went to pick it up, it merely complied, showing no signs of discontent or struggle. The rabbit was soft, warm, and felt lighter than what something its size would normally weigh. He sat there for a few minutes, gently petting the small mammal and enjoying the cloud-like softness of its fur.

Still wanting to continue his exploration, he cradled the animal with one arm, using the other to push himself up while his back stayed against the wall as support. Once back on both feet, despite the fact that he mainly had to just use his hands, he maneuvered it in his arms so he could use both to hold it. In return, it shifted into his arms and partially tucked its head between the crook of his elbow, going to sleep.

_Ahhhh that’s so cute!_

Not wanting to disturb the bunny, he tried to distract himself from the cuteness overload in his arms, deciding to focus on the melody still playing from it. It was weird, as much of the other logic in this place, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He quite enjoyed listening to the familiar tune, quietly humming along to the song. 

After a while, the music faded out, making it silent once more. It wasn’t an uncomfortable or lonely silence, but the relaxed kind one might find in a library. 

The rabbit immediately perked up, looking around in search of something, putting its ears forward, listening. An obnoxious and repetitive beeping blared in his ears, making him cringe. Unfortunately, he sure as hell had no clue as to turn it off. The small animal jumped out of his arms, taking off quicker than he could keep up, its glow -the only indication of how far it was in front of him- faded out until it completely disappeared.

“Wait! please Don’t go!” 

Coming to a halt, it didn’t take long to come to the conclusion that he wouldn’t be able to find it in this infinite place. The beeping continued, finishing the job of ruining the relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. Without warning, everything went white.

* * *

Izuku slammed his hand onto the snooze button, silencing the noise as he glared at its source. He rose into a hunched sitting position, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

Three months have passed, though not much has happened besides the same old thing at school, and the constant training with All Might and Sensei. Though, Midoriya’s suffering getting worse by the weeks could count if that qualifies as anything new. 

He dragged himself out of bed, put on one of his work out outfits, gratefully took the cup of coffee that Xy made, and walked through the gate leading to Dagobah Beach. He set a timer for two hours and set to work, only stopping once his phone signaled time was up. Once Izuku got back home, he took a quick shower, rinsing off any dirt and grime, grabbed his uniform (that he’s had to replace _at least_ three times now), and got ready for school. He made sure to not rush, purposefully being done a little less than ten minutes before the homeroom bell was supposed to ring, went through another one of Xy’s gates that lead to the school and set his walking speed to a casual stroll so he actually got to class only two minutes early.

Entering the room, he scurried over to his desk, taking a seat and setting his bag down while keeping his mouth shut and head down. Considering his temper, he was careful to not set off the explosive blond near him, much less any of Aldera High’s students who chose him as a target. 

During his first year, there weren’t as many students who bullied him besides Bakugo, but once word got around there was a defenseless, quirkless kid who could barely defend himself, the number of his tormentors only got worse. Despite that the school year’s barely started, he’s got _at least_ half of the third-year student population and a decent amount of random second-years making his life as miserable as possible.

And, as bad as it is, Izuku knows he can’t deny that the only reason why he’s not dead by now from exhaustion and blood loss, is his quirk. Hell, he wouldn’t have even survived his first year of middle school if it wasn’t for his quirk. On a positive note, he’s learned ways to avoid _some_ of the daily torment, which makes school just the slightest bit easier to get through. _And_ , Bakugo hasn’t bullied him as much lately, so that’s definitely something to be grateful about.

Snapping out of his dazed state, Midoriya realized the first period had already started and hurried to jot down the notes the teacher wrote on the board.

The first four periods had gone by quicker than he would’ve liked, as they were one of the only things that protected him from being used as a quirk target practice. So, using personal common sense, when the lunch bell rang, he grabbed his stuff and booked it out of the room, heading towards the abandoned school bathroom. 

It had been abandoned since an incident in his second year. One of the groups (he just started calling regulars at that point as they used to attack him _often_ ) had unleashed Hell: Level 4 on him, which ended in him having huge gashes on his stomach, chest, and back.

When they left him bleeding in the hallway, he had to drag himself to the nearest bathroom to clean himself up and take a vial without the chance of someone seeing him. In the process of cleaning the wounds, he had been slumped against the opposite wall of the door, which had caused an unhealthy amount of blood to stain the wall. He was going to clean it after he got healed up, but only had so much time to get to class as the teachers were _merciless_ with him when it came to being late or simply getting in trouble. That and he’d been in such a rush to clean up and get back, that it had miraculously slipped his mind. 

The following day, it was reported a student found blood in one of the boys’ bathrooms, and it was assumed whoever it was from was dead since Aldera couldn’t care less to report it or get the blood tested. Luckily, one of the teachers saw that the group had blood on their uniforms and so they were expelled. Ever since, no student has dared to go in there as they feared what would happen if they did. At some point, after multiple reports of pained noises coming from inside, someone dubbed it the “Cursed Bathroom”, but that’s not important. What’s important is Midoriya getting to his hiding spot to avoid anyone and everyone until lunch is over.

He was halfway there and hadn’t passed any other students, and the hall had gotten quieter the farther he went- things were actually looking up for the green-haired male.

“Look who we have here, Aldera's one and only _quirkless loser_.”

 _I just_ **_had_ ** _to go and jinx it._

Of course, it turned out to be one of the ‘Regulars’- A group that consisted of one guy who could extend lengthy spikes from his hands, another male who created rock-like armor on specific parts of his body like his hands, forearms, and the top of his head, and then a girl who basically turned her hands into shoots of fire. He never really cared to learn their names, so he normally just gave them nicknames based on their quirks as some sort of reference when he gave them a page in his quirk-based notebooks.

The back of his neck was harshly grabbed and pulled as he was held in the air by Stone. He knew there was no use in fighting, so he didn’t bother to struggle when Pyro snatched his backpack off his shoulders. Spike moved to be in front of Midoriya, grinning with a look in his eyes that Deku knew meant he was screwed over more than usual. 

“How’s my favorite target practice today, hm? You ran off before we could have our _daily chat_ , how rude. On top of that, it looks like you _really_ wanted to get somewhere. Would you mind sharing where? Hm?”

Stone’s grip slowly tightened, but Midoriya kept his mouth shut even as he could feel his air supply almost getting cut off; his hands failing to find some sort of grip to lessen the pain.

“You’re not going to talk to me? That’s fine, I can just go through your stuff if that’s how it’s going to be. Would be a _shame_ if a few notebooks got destroyed.”

_Shit, my bottles._

“Please don’t.”

Pyro skipped over to Spike, handing her leader the bag as she smirked. He opened the largest pocket and attention to the bag as he mocked, ”So it _does_ talk! I was beginning to wonder if you suddenly went mute. That’s good, for a minute there I thought all my fun was ruined. Now, let’s see if good ol’ Deku has anything interesting we can ruin.”

“St-op”

“Ah ah ah. You don’t get to have a say in this friend.”

_Thank mercy I started leaving my notebooks at home after Bakugo ruined #13._

“Hm, Now lets see...OooOo, wanna tell me what these are?” he asked, holding up all three vials.

 _Nononononono. If something happens to those I’m completely_ **_screwed_ ** _for the day._

 _“_ He asked you a question dumbass, answer it.” Pyro snapped, activating her quirk.

“N-o”

_That was definitely not the response he wanted to hear..._

Spike snapped his fingers, making a gesture at Stone, whose hand was currently scraping against and squeezing Midoriya’s neck, slowly cutting his air supply bit by bit. Said boy had absolutely no time to think before his head was bashed against the wall, creating a dent. Almost instantaneously, throbbing white-hot pain flared throughout his skull, making it hard to focus on anything but the extreme discomfort. He couldn’t shout in agony as more of his air supply was cut off, and it hurt worse if he tried to move his jaw. Trying to block the pain, he attempted at focusing on what was being said.

“ -won’t tell me what these are, I’m just going to assume that they aren’t important.” 

He smirked before slamming the glass containers on the ground.

_No! Damnit, what am I supposed to do now? I can only heal so quickly without them._

“Oops, my hand slipped.” he snarked.

“F-u..ck….y-ou.”

“Well, that’s not a very nice thing to say, and here I thought we were friends. Hm. Of course, disrespect towards your superiors can’t go unpunished, can it?”

Stone let go of his throat, giving him the ability to breathe correctly again, but also causing Deku to drop abruptly, landing on his ass. Ow. 

_Why does it always have to be ‘Bully the Only Quirkless Kid in this Entire Godforsaken Place’? I can never get a break no matter what I do, and the only person out of the student body who hasn’t hurt me just because it’s fun is Bakugo. How sad. At least he has some sort of reasoning- not very logical reasoning, but it’s still there._

Without a clear mindset from the slight concussion, Izuku couldn’t comprehend what was happening until he felt a burning sensation on his face and both of his arms. Pyro had him lifted up with both of her arms hooked under his, keeping him in place as both Stone and Spike stood in front of him, activating their quirks.

 _Ah yes, my daily assault, but without anything to heal me afterward._ **_F u c k_ ** _._

As expected, Spike dealt the first blow, making sure at least one or two spikes impaled him, and Stone immediately followed with a bash to his knees. He tried crying out in pain, but it merely came out as a hoarse sob. Tears flooded down his cheeks, eventually turning into steam from Pyro using her quirk so close to his face. Even if he wanted to try directly using his tears to fix himself, it would have to have direct contact with the wound, so until they’re done, he can’t do anything but ride it out.

“Aw, I’m sorry. Did that hurt? My bad dude, next time I’ll try to aim somewhere ELSE.”

With his quirk still activated, he swung to land an uppercut, but threw his arm wrong, missing Midoriya’s chin. Instead, one of the thick spikes dug into Midoriya’s skin, dragging it at an angle into a long gash starting from the right side of his face to the bridge of his nose, and through his eye, stopping right at the end of his left brow. At this point, he had no choice but to think about the agonizing afflictions littering across his body. After successfully letting out a horrendous cry, he was quickly dropped, and could only make out footsteps fading out before everything went dark. 

* * *

Coming to, his head was pounding and his legs ached severely, though he couldn’t quite tell specifically what got pulled or snapped. He took his time sitting up and checking the time on his phone that was still in one piece in his bag. Only twenty-five minutes had passed since he was brutally attacked and passed out. Things were still slightly blurry, and he felt extremely nauseous, so Midoriya didn’t rush to get to his fifth period. The holes in his uniform were small enough to not be immediately noticed, but they were still obvious.

When he went to get up, the pain in his legs increased, making him whimper, but he knew he should get to class sooner than later if he doesn’t want to be yelled at again. So, he grabbed his yellow bag and limped to his next class, with his left eye closed since it felt like it was on fire and he didn’t bother to open it. 

_It’s a good thing our uniforms are black or else I would’ve had quite a few blood stains on it. Though, I don't think anyone would’ve cared anyway._

It took a good bit, but Midoriya eventually made it to class. Entering the room, the teacher didn’t scold or yell at him but did ignore him completely, continuing the lesson. Everyone else ignored him or gave him odd looks, but it was better than getting humiliated and laughed at so he thought of it as a plus. 

Not considering the constant fear of being attacked again, the last few periods of the day were pretty decent. Sure, there was the occasional snicker or rude comment, but Izuku would rather deal with that than any physical assault. Despite the throbbing pain that continued to linger, his headache had definitely gone down quite a bit as well as his concussion, leaving him with a more clear mindframe. When the last bell for the day rang, he let out a sigh of relief and allowed himself to relax as he had survived another day. He made sure to wait until everyone else left before grabbing his own belongings and making his trek to where Z picked him up every day.

Walking down the empty hallways, Midoriya slowly traced his fingers along the long gash running across his face. In only a few hours, it had already healed, leaving behind a smooth scar.

He sighed, knowing Z would be having a conniption fit once he sees the huge mark on his face, and if it comes to it, the several impalement scars on his stomach. Though, that only meant he cared, so Izuku can't complain _too_ much. Besides Xy’s reaction though, Midoriya couldn’t help but worry that his quirk won't be able to make the scars disappear- The possibility of it staying is low, but the chance is still there. Normally, the deeper an injury went, the harder it was to get rid of the scaring, _especially_ if the torn or damaged tissue neared any bone.

...

On second thought, considering there wasn’t much of a barrier between his skull and where Spike tore completely through his skin, he might have to fear a livid villain overlord that can literally _steal_ quirks, rather than just a pissed off, mothering Xy. On a positive note, he’s training with All Might today, meaning Sensei won't be back until tomorrow, so _technically_ he has time, just not very much. 

Nearing his destination, he opened his messages, quickly tapping on Z’s contact and typed a short message, hoping the raven-haired male wasn’t asleep with his phone turned off, which would force Izuku to walk home...again. 

However, right as he was about to hit send, two things happened: His phone was shot out of his hands, and then presumably the same thing was shot into his left shoulder. He let out a short cry, frantically looking around, trying to spot where or who it came from with the one eye that hadn't been slashed- his left eye didn’t burn anymore, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

_Shit._

Ignoring the sharp pain, and ever slowly growing warm dampness in his shoulder, Izuku took no time to hesitate in taking off, running as fast as his aching legs could take him. Midoriya could hear his attacker sprinting after him along with several other rapid footsteps coming from different sides, almost completely surrounding him. In fight or flight situations like this that tend to involve anyone from Aldera, he chooses flight. Running is the only option if he doesn’t want anyone from that school to find out he lied about not having a quirk; Bakugo very much included since he would take it as Izuku looking down on him, which is something he would rather avoid.

Luckily, years worth of running from different groups of students with a variety of quirks can be quite useful. Such as, learning to always have an extra phone just in case the first one gets lost or destroyed: the only downside, it’s in his bag, which he does not have the luxury to stop and grab it at the moment. There was the option of just letting the group go ahead and attack him so then he wouldn't have to worry about them for the rest of the day, but he's already been attacked plenty of times today, so no thanks- One more assault is one too many. He could try hiding in an alleyway, but this part of the city was so clean there was nowhere _to_ hide, so that wasn’t an available choice. The only obvious thing he _could_ do, was to keep running, because he knew if he didn’t, he would screw himself over _again_.

Midoriya pushed himself to run faster as a winged shadow made its way into his peripheral vision and an animalistic cackle sounded behind, making him feel like prey being chased down by a pack of wolves. There were only so many places he could try to lose the group since they were on an open road, houses and apartment complexes were the only things in sight, so hiding wasn’t an option either.

His legs were partially numb from the adrenaline, but he could only hope it would last until he could find somewhere with a crowd, or until he got home, which were both unlikely. 

Consistent shots rang out, some whizzing near his face, or hitting the streetlamp he just ran past. Luckily, the fire didn’t last very long, and once it ended, so did the footsteps that weren’t his own. Izuku didn't stop, he knew this trick all too well, and wasn’t about to let his guard down only to regret his decision seconds later. So, he kept going, not once looking back, even as a chorus of laughter was echoing off the street. 

Which, of course, was the wrong decision to make as his foot snagged on an invisible force, tripping him, and soon trapping him in a giant net hanging from a streetlight. The group that had been previously chasing after him casually strolled up to their successful catch, all wearing the same sadistic grin, like a pack of wolves that had cornered their prey. Midoriya winced as the thin, metal-like threads making up the net dug into his skin the more he moved.

_Damnit, they planned the whole thing._

This particular lot had an odd combination of quirks, but that didn't stop them from working together to make his life as miserable as possible. The leader was a tall girl that sported a pair of Hyena ears replacing the other ones, several dark spots of various sizes littering across her skin, and (though it's not obvious at first) a _very_ acute sense of smell. Her lackies included another mutant quirk user that had stone for skin, bat-like wings, two sharp ears on top of his head and a demon like tail that were made of the same mineral, and two enlarged bottom canine teeth, giving him the appearance of a Gargoyle. The other two lackies had more simple quirks that allowed one guy to shoot bullets from the tips of his fingers when he positioned his hand like a gun, and the other girl to camouflage any object or person as long as she touched it/them with all five of her fingers. The camouflage affect would last until she touched it again. At first, Izuku thought she made things invisible, but it turned out her quirk just worked like a chameleon or even an octopus, except, she could use her quirk on more things than just herself.

But that wasn't the point, nor was it exactly important as Midoriya finding a way out of the metallic net. 

Mutt, the leader, wore the same blood-hungry look he knew all too well. Though the first time he had seen it that afternoon, it ended in him getting the giant _fucking_ scar on his face before passing out, so he would rather not go through that process again in one day. However, due to his current circumstances, it seems like he might have no choice but to just deal with it, get home and fixed up as quickly as possible, immediately apologize for being late, and hope that Yagi-san will forgive him. But he’ll deal with that later as well, for now, Izuku is internally begging they’ll show the slightest bit of mercy just for the day.

“H-heyyy, if it is-n’t Kari and the r-rest of the ga-ng? Well, i-it’s been nice s-eeing you guys, but I-i _really_ should ge-t going... I-is there any cha-nce you could let me o-ut?”

“Heyyy, if it isn't the quirkless little _bitch_ all by his lonesome?” she mocked, almost barking out her words.

_Okay, ow._

“And your right, it _is_ great to see you again! Though, by letting you out, do you mean taking you to our usual spot and then proceed to beat the fuck out or your sorry ass? Because if you meant that we actually let you go, missing my favorite part of the week, then sorry _Deku_ , you would be incorrect. Now, instead of wasting precious time on chit-chat, we should get going. The sooner we get there, the better.” Mutt snarked, already making her way to the old warehouse, motioning for her lackies to follow.

The guy he originally dubbed Stone but with wings (or Stone 2.0) flew up to the top part of the net where it had been tied off, and unraveled it from the lamp post and carried it himself, staying behind the rest of the group while still in mid-air. If Midoriya wasn't in the situation he is in now, he would've been intrigued how Stone 2.0’s rock-like body gave him enough extra strength to carry a whole person while staying in flight. But, since he is in his current situation, that isn't exactly one of his top priorities at the moment

“Come along.”

_Not like I have much of a choice._

Now, considering the location of the warehouse and the street sign they just passed, Izuku could guess he has an approximate of twenty minutes of absolute _hell_. That should be enough time for him to plan a way out of this tom fuckery...hopefully. 

_Okay Izuku, the first thing to making a successful plan: Assess the situation and note all of your surroundings._

He was trapped in a metallic-like net that was being carried by Stone 2.0, a group that was just itching to use him as a punching bag, and was being taken to an unremote building. His only available resources were...in his...backpack.

_HolyShit. My spare phone! I can send Z a quick SoS, but I’ll have to be discreet about it..._

Stone 2.0 had his headphones on and looked kind of paced out, so he was distracted for the most part. Mutt and Chameleon were laughing about something, too caught up in their own conversation; and then there was Target, who was playing some kind of game on his phone, so he was also distracted. Though, it made sense. Why worry about Deku actually doing anything if he was a “Quirkless loser”? 

Still, he’ll have to be careful as to not alert them.

Making slow movements, he reached for his bag, ever so hesitant to take it off his back and put it in front of himself while checking above and forward every so often. So far so good. Quietly, he unzipped a side pocket and grabbed his spare phone. It only took a few seconds to send his location to Z, and another second to realize he missed two calls from him as well as a text.

**You have 5 new messages from: FurryPrick**

**FurryPrick: Yo.**

**FurryPrick: Izuku.**

**FurryPrick: Answer thy phone and don’t ignore me dammit.**

He looked up, seeing it was clear. Facing forward, they were also still oblivious to what he was doing.

**FurryPrick: The walking sunflower is gonna pick u up from school today- said ur taking the day off and yall are just going to get coffee n relax or sumthin. Idk. Don't bother walking to our usual meetup spot.**

**FurryPrick: If u already did because u ignored my freaking calls and texts, then 'tis thy own fault.**

**FurryPrick: I swear to god if you're not answering your phone because you got hurt//passed out, don't think I won't hesitate to release the homicidal idiot on whoever deserves it.**

The last one was only sent a few minutes ago.

**Me: Please don’t call Sensei!**

**FurryPrick: Finally! Why tf haven't you been answering my texts??\\_(o’_’o)_/**

**Me: I didn’t know until now…**

**FurryPrick: And why would that be??**

**Me: I may have… gotten myself into a difficult situation…**

**FurryPrick: Explain. Now.**

**Me: Well um,... you know how I have “regulars”?**

**FurryPrick: Yeah?**

**Me: I may have gotten caught...in a net.**

**FurryPrick: Shit. Well, have fun trying to convince Suit’n’Tie why they should live.**

**Me: I just told you not to call him!**

**FurryPrick: Too late. Also, don’t worry about blondie, I’ll tell him sumthin came up and you’ll be late.**

Before Izuku could reply, a hand snatched his spare phone away from him, “Having another phone in case you lose the first one? Smart move Deku, but sadly, not smart enough. I honestly couldn't care less who you were trying to contact for help. It'll be a hindrance to my fun either way. And do you know what I do with things that get in the way of my fun? If your little buddy shows up I’ll-”

“You’ll do what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive and surprisingly got stuff situated quicker than I first thought. It shouldn't take too long, but I will be rewriting chapters 1-3 before I proceed with chapter 7. If you liked the previous version of it once I repost the new ones, tell me in the comments.


	7. Tag, You're it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few new changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not mean to be updating this late. But with how busy I've been during the week, I've only been able to write bit by bit on the days I'm not completely suffocated with work. 
> 
> Any who, I've been thinking recently and the question of the local broccoli child being too op or not op enough has stuck with me. So here's my question for you: should I give Izuku more of Steven's abilities from SU? If so, which ones? The remaining powers that I could add on would be Floating, Phytokinesis, and/or Emphatic Telepathy(this one would be based around his ability to enter other peoples dreams and/or sense their emotions).
> 
> Another thing that I should acknowledge is that when I replaced chapter 1, it kinda set the whole order aloof and I'm not sure how long it was like that. If you were one of those who read it when it was out of order, I recommend that you reread it in its correct order if you haven't already.

As he was startled by the sudden, new voice, Stone 2.0 lost his grip on the net, essentially dropping Midoriya onto the hard concrete. Mutt turned her head, flinching in alarm and muttering, “ _Jesus fuck_ ”, before pinning her ears back in irritation. “Oi, who the fuck are you old man??”

The stranger didn't answer, much less acknowledge he heard the short-tempered girl; he was simply too busy with getting Izuku out of the net. This only angered Mutt further, causing her to growl out, ”Hey! I’m talking to you, ass hat!” 

He glanced at her, keeping an indifferent expression while using telekinesis to open the top and pull the petite boy out- only releasing the quirk after setting the boy on his feet. ”I can tell. And frankly, I couldn't care less,” he said flatly, lightly dusting off Midoriya. 

Mutt whistled and a bullet shot towards the man, only for it to bounce off of an invisible wall.

“Don't test my patience, old man! You've got about ten seconds to _scram_ before I turn your ass into ground meat.”

Midoriya opened his mouth to try and warn her, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. ”Can it quirkless pipsqueak!”

He raised a brow at her comment, “I would appreciate it if you refrained from addressing Izuku like that.”

“And if I don't? What are you gonna do, bore me with some kind of sales bullshit?” she smirked. 

Izuku grabbed All For One's arm, setting a silent reminder to himself that he couldn't eradicate these delinquents right then and there, no matter how much he wanted to. Well, _yet_ at least. If anything, he could just take their quirks and put them to better use. A win-win situation if you ask him- these brats learn to not hurt what is his, and he gets a few more quirks to play with. It was their fault anyway, they were the ones who kept his little Izuku in a net like an animal. That in itself was simply unforgivable. 

Instead of lashing out as he would've liked, All For One sighed and kept a calm tone as he said, “While that would be entertaining to see, no. Instead, here's what's going to happen: you four are going to go home and we can forget this whole fiasco. _Or_ , you can choose to not be compliant and I charge each of you with assault. I don’t mind either way, but I do particularly recommend going with the first option if you care even the slightest about a clean record, and the small chance you _might_ have to get into a decent high school.” 

_He’s being surprisingly calm about this._

“You really think I’m scared of you old man? Newsflash: Your _threats_ don't mean jack-shit to me, fucktwit; I could easily beat your ass! Besides, what evidence do you have against us? It's our word against yours.”

His mouth dipped as his brows furrowed, “My, such a foul-mouthed and violent child. I would say _egotistical_ as well, but that seems to be an understatement. ” 

“Ha?? The _fuck_ did you call me?!”

“Was it not obvious? I thought I was quite straightforward with what I said.” 

_Oh dear._

“Ya know what? Screw _this_ shit. Lets see if you're so cocky when it's four against one!”

Izuku couldn't see this ending well, so he attempted to intervene, “I wouldn't-”

Before he could get out anything else, the group practically dove at All For One– which was very short lived, as the man froze each “attacker” in place with a flick of his wrist. 

“You were saying? Now children, I really do not have time for your atrocious games as I am currently running late for more important matters.”

Mutt struggled, jerking and thrashing her body as her arms looked to be bound to her sides by an invisible rope. The rest of the group seemed almost as pissed, but more embarrassed of being stopped so pathetically as they stayed quiet. “Let me go, you son of a bitch! This is cheating! As soon as I get free I’ll-”

All For One motioned his index towards himself, moving the canine-like girl to him and putting her at eye level. Midoriya didn't have to see the scowl present on the man's face to feel the death aura rising ever so slowly. “Do you ever _stop_ shrieking like a wild banshee? By god, it's getting _quite_ irritating. Listen well because I'm only going to say this once: If I _ever_ see you near Izuku again, much less hear about you tormenting him, there'll be worse consequences than a simple lawsuit. Do I make myself clear?”

Sometimes Izuku found himself forgetting just how Sensei was basically the king of villains. But in the moments he’s reminded, it's not hard to understand. One of the most effective ways to rule is by fear, and if Sensei could put terror into the hearts of any cold-blooded villain, doing it to an arrogant middle-schooler would be a cinch. 

The whole group nodded, and as soon as he released them from his telekinesis quirk, they took off.

All For One took a deep breath, exhaling as his shoulders and face lost their previous tension. He turned to Izuku, slightly bowing, ”I hope you can forgive me and accept my deepest apologies, little one. It was not my intention to let you see me like that.”

“It's fine, really. Why don't we go home?”

The man smiled, now content as he replied, “Much agreed. I told Z beforehand to open a gate in five to ten minutes once I left, so we shouldn't be waiting but a minute or so.”

“Oh, alright. Wait, didn't you say you had something else to tend to?”

“Of course! Making sure I’m home to welcome you back once you return from your other training,” he said as a white, luminescent portal opened in front of them. He gestured to the portal, ”After you.”

Stepping through, Midoriya was greeted by a distressed Xy whom was tapping his foot as he crossed his arms; like a mother who just caught their child doing something extremely dumb. Which made _zero_ sense since Midoriya knows the overgrown house cat had no reason to be upset with him. 

“What -and I can not stress this enough- the fuck??” he remarked, throwing his arms out in frustration. 

“First off, language. We talked about this. Second, what do you mean?”

“You're kidding right? What do I _mean_? I’m talking about the fucking obvious giant scar across your face and the fact that you're keeping one eye closed.”

All For One quietly commented, ”You could've said that in a more polite way, but yes, it would be great to know why that is.”

He stomped over to Midoriya and grabbed the boys face with both hands– not too harshly, that would be rude– “What the _fuck_ happened? Your weird, magical heal-y shit usually never leaves a scar, much less fails to heal whatever happens to you.”

_Ah, right._

He nervously chuckled, not looking forward to explaining what went down. “Funny you should say that…” he trailed off, looking anywhere to avoid eye contact. “I wasn’t fast enough to get to a safe place during our lunch period, and so the little supply of bottles I took with me today were destroyed.”

“That still doesn't explain how you got the scar,” Xy said bluntly, letting go of the boy to cross his arms once more.

“One of my regulars.”

“That's all I’m going to get for context?” Izuku shrugged, causing him to sign in irritable acceptance. ”Okay, next thing. Does your eye hurt at all?”

“No.”

“Try opening it and tell me if there's any difference.”

When he did, there still wasn't any pain. ”It feels fine,” but Z seemed surprised or even confused for some reason. Sensei moved to be in front of him to see whatever it was for himself. 

“What?”

After a moment of silence, Xy replied, ”Well, it looks perfectly fine.”

”I'm sensing a _‘but’_ here.”

“Only one _teensy_ little problem. At least, I don't _think_ it should be much of a problem anyway.”

“Please just tell me what it is.”

“Your whole iris is glowing. Like a freshly cracked glowstick kinda thing.”

“You're joking,” he said, wary. 

“Nope”

“What am I going to tell Mr. Yagi?”

XY pondered for a second before saying, “You technically don't have to tell him anything if you don't want to. Honestly, if you're that worried about it, he doesn't even have to find out.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Midoriya questioned.

“Dude, you have makeup. Use it.”

“Oh, true. But what about my eye?”

“I got that covered.”

Jokingly, he asked, “What? Do you just conveniently have colored contacts in your room?”

Z started to make his way out of the kitchen, heading upstairs. “Yes but actually no. Just- come on.”

Izuku complied with Sensei following. The petite boy had so many questions, but decided against asking them. They first stopped at the older teens room; upon entering, All For One decided to relax on one of the small couches while he waited. 

Heading into the bathroom attached to his room, Xy started to pull out and rummage through drawers, determined to find what he needed to find. In the last one he checked, he brought out a small box, opened it, and pulled out a pair of small, plastic circular containers. 

“These things aren't going to put themselves in, Bunny Boy. Come here.”

Izuku walked over to him, and remarked, ”Those are new, right?”

Z rolled his eyes, ”Of course. I ordered a bunch of these things online a few weeks ago since I couldn't decide which color I wanted.”

“You randomly bought colored contacts…”

“With your dad’s credit card that he gave you to use.”

_You know what, I'm not even surprised and honestly I couldn't care less. The prick literally convinced my mother to move across the ocean, and then proceeded to give me unlimited access to his account to “make up” for it._

“But, why do you need contacts?”

“Literally no reason. It was a random impulse I got after waking up from a nap,” he said, putting the small container on the sink counter. After washing his hands, Xy tore the seal off of them before carefully taking out a thin, green contact that closely resembled the shade of Izuku’s eyes.

“Fair warning, it might feel a bit odd at first”

“Kay.”

Having his right hand to hold Midoriya’s head still, Xy used his index and ring finger on the other to gently hold the boy's eye open while using the middle to carefully put in the lens. ”Aaaaaand, done. Blink a few times to adjust a bit and tell me what you think.”

It was certainly an experience to have a piece of silicone gel sitting on his eye, but it didn't hurt, so Izuku couldn't really complain. While he could physically tell the contact was there, in the reflection however, it was like he didn't have it in the first place. Though, this also gave him the opportunity to see just how bad the scar turned out. It definitely would raise a few questions, and Midoriya knows himself enough to acknowledge the fact that he is a terrible liar. Sure, he can be vague, but lying is a whole other thing- annnd he’s spacing out again. ”Looks great- wait. How long do these last?”

“I’d say you would have to replace them every three to four months at most to be safe. The box said they could last a year after the seal was taken off, but you’ll be wearing at least one pretty often. Oh, and always remember to take it out before you go to bed.”

“Z, Even though I've never worn them before, I think I would know to not sleep with _contact lenses_ in.”

“Ya never know. I mean, you did manage to be completely unaware of a whole ass gym in your own home until like three months ago.“

“We’ve been over this. I never cared to explore the extra rooms in the house; I saw literally no reason to do it, so I didn't.”

Xy chuckled, seemingly finding it amusing to bring up random things to annoy Midoriya. ”Whatever, lets go. Next stop is your room.”

“And the sky is blue,” Izuku said with the most monotone voice he could make, which caused the older teen to stop and look back at him. “What? I thought we were stating the obvious.”

They left the bathroom and soon the bedroom with Sensei in tow. 

“How come you're only sarcastic like this with me, shortstack?”

Almost immediately, Izuku replied, ”That's easy. If I did it to anyone else, it could mean possible death or severe trauma and if I did it to Sensei, it would be disrespectful.”

“Fair enough.”

Izuku grabbed a suitable outfit for training and headed straight to his bathroom, Xy didn't waste a second to flop face-first onto the large, plush bed, while All For One settled on sitting in one of the small couches again. 

Izuku got to work, pulling out concealer, foundation, face primer, and setting spray. While it took more concealer than he first thought, it didn't take long to cover up the cicatrix and blend in the makeup. Satisfied with the results, he quickly got changed into a pair of red cotton shorts, a matching top and a pair of fingerless gloves to protect his hands. Like magic, when he stepped out the door, Midoriya was suddenly reminded that he didn't have either phone to contact Mr. Yagi. 

_Just my luck, one phone is most likely lost and broken somewhere while Mutt still has the other._

“Hey Z?”

The other male only lifted his head up long enough to reply, ”What?”

“Can you text Mr. Yagi and ask where I need to meet up with him, then tell him I’m sorry for running late today?”

Xy didn't answer, but eventually rolled over and pulled out his phone.

_Hopefully he’s not too mad about the wait._

“That place we went to the first time you two ran into each other,” he said, looking up. In an amused tone he added, “You do remember that I said you basically had the day off?”

_Damnit._

He quietly huffed, going back into the walk-in closet to find one that was more casual. After some internal debate, Izuku came up with a pair of ripped jeans, red ankle-high boots, a black & white button-up plaid shirt that had elbow-length sleeves, and a pair of diamond stud earrings. 

“Better?”

Xy gave him a thumbs up, already opening a gate. ”Poifect.”

Midoriya rolled his eyes as he stepped through. 

After the portal closed Xy looked at All For One, ”You’re too calm about this whole thing.”

“What could you possibly mean?” he said, not looking up from his phone. 

“You're surrounded by All Might merch _and_ were around one of the many groups of people who torment Izuku. You have yet to destroy, much less murder something. Not that you should, but your lack of a reaction is bugging me.”

“Ah, that. I’ve learned to not be bothered by mere objects- no matter how much I _despise_ the man they theme around. Besides, Izuku would be quite upset if he came home to one of his beloved possessions destroyed. As for that _infuriating_ group of delinquents...while I don't plan to kill children anytime soon, I _am_ going to be sure to knock them down a few pegs while gaining a few more useful tools.”

“Free Labor?”

“Heavens no. I'm talking about their quirks.”

“What about the ones with a mutant type?”

“I have that little detail already worked out.”

Xy hummed and then asked, ”Is that why you've been so quiet ever since you two got here?”

“You could say that in a way, yes.”

“Just asking, but how are you gonna justify your actions when he finds out?”

“He’s not going to find out,” Sensei insisted. 

“Oh? And how are you going to pull that off?”

* * *

Izuku stepped out in front of the café and took note of the new decorative flowers they put around the front of the building; Golden Poppies, a flower of which both the symbol and color matched the café.

When he went inside, he spotted a familiar head of blond hair almost straight away; after all, it was hard to miss such a tall human being. The man noticed him, waving him over. “Good afternoon, young Midoriya,” Mr. Yagi greeted as the boy made his way over to him. 

Izuku sat down as he replied, “Good afternoon sir. Sorry if I kept you waiting, something came up and I had to take care of it. That, and I hadn't seen my texts until it was too late.”

_Technically not a lie, but not the whole truth either._

“There was no rush so it's quite alright my boy. Since you’ve done rather well these past few months, I thought you deserved a day off.”

“Taking a breather for a bit sounds nice, yeah.”

With school as well as having training every day, Izuku can't seem to get a break lately, so a calming afternoon at a café after being impaled and almost carried to certain death was appreciated without a doubt. Though, he can't exactly blame anyone but himself on the whole thing. He _was_ the one who agreed to Mr. Yagi’s offer and then decided to add combat training with Sensei to it; and he could technically count just about every hour of school as speed and stealth practice- even if it is forced. It's kind of funny now that he thinks about it.

_I’ve been unintentionally and involuntarily preparing for UA ever since it was known that I was quirkless._

He didn't realize he was lost in thought until one of the waitresses came by to get their order. Mr. Yagi ended up getting chamomile tea while Izuku got lavender and rose. Even after they got their orders, both stayed quiet, simply enjoying each other's company and the peaceful air of the café. Since their table was by one of the front windows, Midoriya got to watch as the sun set and turned the sky a soft hue of purples, pinks, and yellows; together, it created a silhouette of the buildings in the city. 

Soon enough, it was time to go and Mr. Yagi was dropping him off, giving a quick wave before leaving. When he opened the door and stepped inside, he was enveloped by two large arms. 

“Welcome back little one.” Sensei said, eventually letting go to lead him to the kitchen where Xy was, already eating. ”I made dinner earlier than usual as we have much to discuss afterwards.” he explained, quickly adding, ”Not that you did anything wrong of course, but there are a few concerns that need to be dealt with.”

“All right.” Midoriya replied, refraining from asking what Sensei was referring to since he was going to get his answer sooner or later anyway. After he finished eating, rinsing all of the bowls and other utensils, and putting them in the dishwasher, he went back to the island with Z sitting next to him and All For One sitting across from them.

“Now Izuku, understand that what I'm doing is for your safety, but as of tomorrow you'll be switched over to online classes and whatever topics that failure of a school system lacks to teach you, I will be personally going over with you. Though, since you’ll have more free time during the day, I’m going to be setting your training earlier and keep it going until I deem you two are done for the day.” 

He really shouldn't be surprised. It was inevitable that it would happen at some point, but he didn't expect it to be so early into the school year. However, Midoriya couldn't really complain about it; seeing as switching to online classes literally meant less stress and the chances of him getting hurt slimmed to almost zero (if you didn't include combat training, that is). 

“That’s reasonable I guess, but how did you switch over everything so quickly?”

“I have my ways.”

“Please tell me you didn't threaten anyone.”

“Not at all, little one. When I asked the principal to transfer you to homeschooling, being the scum he is, he immediately jumped at the opportunity. So no threats were needed.” Sensei explained, sounding upset yet pleased. 

“Oh, okay- er, any other concerns that we need to discuss?”

“Only one.”

Xy spoke up, spinning his hand in a _carry on_ motion, “And that would be?”

“Izuku’s birthday! With this special occasion coming up, we’ll have to plan for the whole day.”

“I think it's a bit too soon to be thinking about that, don't you think? Besides, if anything, we could watch movies and relax the whole day.”

“Au contraire my dear,” he began, getting up and going over to Izuku, ”It needs to be marvelous and just as special as the individual we’re celebrating,” Sensei concluded, spinning the boy around before putting him back down. ”However, while I know it's still quite early, there's much to be covered in training tomorrow.”

“Like what, Suit’n’Tie? All we’ve been doing is practicing hand-to-hand combat.”

“Precisely. I’ll be testing you two to see how far you’ve really progressed. From then, depending on your performance, we'll be adding ways to use your quirk.”

“Ya’know, I thought it would take longer for us to move onto quirks. What happened to your ‘too much dependence on quirks’ logic?”

“Considering how far you’ve come since we started, I’d say it's fine. You’ll still be learning basic combat but with a few extra details. Now, off to bed, both of you. We have an early day tomorrow and you’ll both be needing plenty of rest.“ After breaking off the conversation, All For One shooed the two boys out of the kitchen and upstairs. 

Once he got to his room, Izuku crossed off another day on his themed calendar, took his contacts out, and crawled in bed; giving in to the call of sleep shortly after.

* * *

“Keep your attention on your opponent and analyze them. Predict their next move. In a fight, there is no room for distraction,” Sensei called out, watching as Xy and Izuku sparred. Fortunately for them, after they finished that third round, they could stop- at least until the man decided if they could use their quirks yet or not. 

They’d been at this for about thirty minutes at most, originally starting at twelve-thirty so Izuku could still get a good few hours in for school. When they got in the gym, All For One immediately had them spar, setting to three rounds so they had plenty of time to work on other activities. 

“That’s... _huff..._ easy for you to say... _huff..._ You’re on the sidelines,...huff...not the one getting his ass handed to him... _huff_...by a humanized piece of broccoli,” Z complained as he barely dodged a kick to the ribs from Midoriya.

“That's because he _listens_ to my instructions. If you would actually apply each lesson I've taught so far, you wouldn’t be having such a hard time,” he huffed as he made this comment, shortly including, ”Theoretically, you two _should_ be on equal grounds.”

“Well... _huff_ ... _excuse_ me for not being able to... _huff_...process shit and think faster,” he snarked as Izuku threw a left hook, the boy's knuckles hitting dead-center on his nose. Z’s eyes watered, distracting him for only a moment and leaving him open for the shorter male to sweep his legs from under him and cause him to fall flat on his back. 

“Good job Izuku! Exploiting the enemy’s weakness to make a quick victory. Very smart,” All For One complimented, pride and joy in his voice. Midoriya beamed at the comment, happy to receive the small praise. “I'm proud to say that overall, you two did well. Though, bearing this in mind, I’ll be setting the bar higher so you’ll have to work harder than before. Now, go and take a quick break while I figure out what we’ll be moving onto.”

Neither hesitated to grab a water bottle each from the fridge. Halfway through his bottle, Izuku paused to ask, ”This whole time training has just been made up as we’ve gone?”

“Precisely, my dear.” It wasn't that planning was an inconvenience, but rather more of an unneeded detail for this kind of thing. It was simply less time consuming to take a minute or so to come up with the lesson for that day than to spend hours scheduling the few weeks/months. Then there was the possibility of having to reschedule everything if the progress made was faster or, less likely, slower than anticipated. This was one of the reasons why All For One never wasted his time arranging for things that could be easily sorted out when the time came. 

Once he determined what the next plan of action would be, he set Xy off to the other open side of the gym and had him open and close– as well as constantly go through– as many portals as he could. It didn't matter where he made the portals go as long as it stayed within the property surrounding the home. When Z asked how long he was supposed to do it for, All For One responded, ”Until you drop,” all while keeping a blank expression. As the older teen did this, Sensei got Izuku to summon and try to hit him with shields. The only rule being that the boy had to stay at least 10 feet away the whole time. The man wouldn't attack him, but would still move around the mat to dodge the transparent, green objects.

This went on for 5 hours until they took another break; when he told them they could stop, both looked dead on their feet. Even then, All For One wasn't calling it a day yet. Before proceeding with the next “activity”, he made both teens eat a healthy dinner and then had them drink half of a vial to help replenish their energy. It was only when plates were cleaned off and bottles were empty, did he move on to the next part in their training.

“Now that you two are decently recharged, you’ll be playing a game of sorts.”

Confused, Midoriya asked, ”A game?”

“That's the gist of it, yes. Basically, you two will be playing an altered version of _Tag_ that has _Capture-the-Flag_ incorporated into it,” he said, going into further explanation. 

The player who is not _it_ will get as far as they can. If they get far enough, their path would continue into the city. Once the other person gets caught and becomes _it_ they then chase the previous tagger, going the direction they came from. The directions will keep switching until time runs out or one of the players successfully reach their assigned destination; ex, the original player who is _it_ will automatically be set to having the house as their designated location while the runner has to find a flag that's been (somewhat)randomly placed in the city. All For One knows it would be quite difficult to make it to the city and find the flag in such a small time frame, so he’s made it easier on the two by making the flag's location a straight-shot. If they get far enough into the city and keep going in one direction, they’ll find it. The runner just can't get caught, simple enough.

“Any questions?” There was no response. ”Good! To determine who will be _it_ first, we’ll be doing it the old fashioned way: flipping a coin.” He fished out a quarter and tossed it up, quickly putting his hand on top of the other to hide what side it landed on. “Head or tails?”

“Heads!” Izuku quickly replied, leaving Xy to have the latter. 

All For One uncovered the coin, revealing the side facing up was in fact heads. “Good choice, little one.” 

They went outside and Midoriya and Z stood at the end of the driveway as they waited for the signal to start.

“Remember, as long as you stay going the same direction, you’ll find the flag eventually. Quirk-wise: Izuku, considering your other ability isn't exactly suited to this specific exercise, you'll be allowed free access to your holograms. I don't care how you use it, but make sure it's not directly used on your opponent. Other than that, get creative. Z, I’ll be limiting you to your beast form. If you don't want to use your quirks the whole time, then be my guest,” All For One said, standing to the side. To ensure he could keep an eye on things, he readied a quirk that would act as his live, birds-eye view of the course. Only once the game was over, would he deactivate it. “Moving on… Once I say go, you'll have exactly two hours to complete this game. If time runs out before one of you can get to your goal, then I’ll determine the winner by distance. This’ll count every time we do this, but the runner gets a five to ten second head start depending on what the tagger chooses. Got it?”

Both boys nodded in understanding as they got into a running stance. 

“Ready? Go!”

Izuku took off into a dart, intending to get as much distance while he could. If anything, he could simply hide in the trees and make his way to his goal from there. After all, Sensei never said hiding was off-limits. However, he pushed that idea to the side for the city.

_As long as I get to the flag, I should be fine._

Midoriya could hear quick and padded steps, indicating Xy was slowly catching up to him and by the sound of it, the ravenette was already taking advantage of the fact that he could use his quirk; even if it was only one of the two. While Izuku could probably find a way to use his own power to his advantage, it won’t be much help until he can get into the more urban area. Speaking of which...

_If I time this right, I should be able to get out of the literal woods and still have thirty minutes (maybe forty-five, if I'm lucky) to find it. And considering it’s Sensei who hid it, the flag’s likely to be somewhere obvious yet hidden. A place that could be completely overlooked if I don't look carefully enough. He’d probably put it someplace that would be challenging to get to even if I did find it, so not anywhere on the ground where it’ll be easy to access. So a place high up and difficult to get to, yet obvious. Which would mean that Sensei put the flag somewhere...on the...roofs._

_I’m gonna go on a whim here and assume some sort of parkour will be involved in this. Hmm, Fun._

While most buildings in the city are considered public property, there’s always those few places that are technically private. Which leads to the question if free-running is legal or not in the district of Musutafu. Logically speaking, there’s always the chance of injury or being attacked by a villain while parkouring on the roofs, especially during evening hours. Though, compared to other districts like Hosu, Musutafu is a peaceful city that’s maintained a relatively low crime rate. So it's likely that it's only discouraged rather than being an actual crime that Izuku and Xy could get arrested for if they were caught. 

Either way, they’ll both have to be careful once they get into more urban territory. 

Until then, he’ll have to focus on current matters. One example being the fact that he’s been fortunate enough to not get caught yet considering how slow he is compared to the ravenette behind him. Although, while Xy is undeniably fast in his beast form, that speed can only take him so far; seeing as it would only make sense that his stamina would deteriorate faster if he was using energy faster. That, and while Izuku _is_ used to running for prolonged periods of time, Z _isn't_. 

In the end, it boils down to the question of who’ll win this game: A nap addict that can turn into an oversized house cat, or a short child who's had to run for at least the past five to six years- or in simpler terms, speed vs. stamina. That said, the ever-growing burn in his lungs and ache in his legs are starting to test how long he can ignore pain. Since his quirk can only heal so much at once, it’s like an itch that never goes away, and scratching it doesn't do much besides preventing it from getting worse. 

_Just until we get into the city. Only then can I shake him off and find someplace to rest for a bit._

The chase continued and the product of one of Sensei’s quirks never strayed far from the boys’ ever-moving location. With the sun already set, Midoriya could begin to depict the illuminating light from the city as it shone into the edge of the forest. 

_Yes!_

The second pair of footsteps behind him paused, and Izuku didn't think twice to take that opportunity to disappear into the new area. Musutafu was full of places to stay hidden, and he was going to use that to his advantage. Given this, he would stay on the path of his goal, only slightly to the right. Well, that is if a whole street over counted as slightly. This way, he’ll have more time to get further into the city and find a good place to switch onto higher ground.

He ran for a couple of blocks, only allowing himself to stop once he found a decent hiding place for a brief rest. His legs shook from exhaustion and his head immediately began throbbing. Unable to resist giving into temptation, he slumped himself against the closest building. His heart was pounding in his chest and his breaths came out short and quick as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. It took close to all of his will power to not call it quits and stay there for the rest of the game. 

The floating orb from Sensei’s quirk, that Midoriya had mentally named Birds-Eye Camera(BEC for short), flew to him and stopped a yard in front of him. ”I’m... _huff.._.just taking a quick breather.” Guessing that the man was satisfied with his short explanation, he watched as the BEC hovered away, rising a few meters up in the process. 

Izuku’s brief stop was soon over once he was sure that he was rested enough to resume his journey and search. 

_This game isn't gonna win itself._

He started his trek down the sidewalk whilst keeping an eye out for anything that could help him get to the top of some of the taller roofs- preferably a fire escape ladder. He’ll have a better view of his surroundings from there and if he’s lucky, he might be able to spot the flag. Eventually, with every moment he failed to locate what he needed, his walk turned into more of a run. 

And aside from the rare one or two lamp posts he’d passed, the streets were inked over in darkness and shadows. The alleys were no exception as they were pitch-black, causing Midoriya to strain his eyes if he wanted to try and see what was down them. _Most_ of the petite boy’s luck seemed to be drained out for the day, seeing as he has yet to hear or even catch a glimpse of the other male. Maybe he got bored with using his allowed quirk? Who knows. What Izuku _does_ know is that he would rather not find out before this whole thing is over. Just avoid Xy and he’ll be fine. Hopefully. Unless there's a villain attack or if a pro hero sees him and it actually _is_ illegal to be doing this. Then there’s the chance that he could trip and fall off one of the buildings once he finds a way to get to-

_Finally!_

It wasn't entirely the safest option, but it was as close to a fire escape as he’d get that night. Wrapping his hands around the cold, metal bars, Izuku hurried up the ladder that led straight to the top of the residential tower. Taking the height of the structure into consideration, he made sure to keep a sturdy grip on each new handle bar he came in contact with. And while not the most logical thing to do, the higher he got the more his mind told him to look down. 

It was honestly strange. In situations where one reasonably should not do something as it would not benefit them in any way, is where the urge to do it is the strongest. A current example of this being when you're up somewhere dangerously high on something that is usually unstable or not safe overall. This action only inconveniences the person who carried it out, so why do it? A different example would be if you're told to do something, but you were already planning to do it. It wasn't your idea anymore, nor was it on your terms, so any motivation that you might’ve had is gone. The logical reasoning for this would be a psychological tendency, but one could never be too sure.

When he realized he had been spacing out, Midoriya already reached the top. And, as impulse takes over reasoning, he fixed his gaze and attention on the ground so far below him. The structure had to be at least fifteen stories high, so not one of his best ideas. 

His heart sped up and his body flinched in terror as he scrambled over the edge; and in the process, tripped over the edge. “ _Shit!_ -” he whisper-yelled in a startled and wobbly voice as he landed with clumsiness that only he could manage to have. 

_Good thing no one saw me do that. If Z had seen it, I_ **_know_ ** _he would be hysterical at my (somewhat) failed endeavors. Ha, Endeavor. Get it, ‘cause he sucks at doing anything that involves acting like a decent human being._

_Annnd I’m talking to myself while laying on cold, hard concrete. In the middle of training. Great._

Breaking out of his mental conversation, Izuku brushed himself and got up to see what he was working with. Mobility-wise, the roofs should be easy enough to get to with enough help from his quirk. The location of the other player is still unknown. And at most they should have around twenty minutes left until the game ends, possibly thirty. 

He walked over to the other side to search for the closest place to move on to. While the first landing point was further than he would've liked, the next few buildings after it were the same height and only a yard or so apart. A good starting point, but for the most part he'll have to take this as he went- there was no telling when Xy would decide to show himself.

Midoriya stepped back from the edge and took deep breaths as he kept his eyes forward to avoid the view below. Then dashed forwards and jumped. The second he was in mid-air, he put a bubble around himself.

The landing wasn’t ideal, but it could've been worse. His quirk took most of the brunt from the landing, essentially letting him make it out without a scratch. 

Not wanting to waste anymore time than he has to, he put his attention to the next complex tops. It should only take a running start to get to those. 

To no one in particular but himself, he mumbled, “If I do this correctly, I should be able to continue instead of stopping every time. Though, I’ll have to make sure I get enough speed to make sure nothing goes wrong.” 

Midoriya got into a running start again, jumping as soon as he was right on the edge. The first try: it was a bit rough, but he only had to take a second to recover and stop himself from stumbling. He continued to repeat this process and each time the landfall was easier than the last as his fear slowly got overwhelmed by two new feelings - excitement and confidence. It was nice. 

He covered another block, soon making out the red material as it gracefully swayed in the night’s breeze. However, it was settled on one of the higher elevated places. He scanned the structures surrounding his target, mentally listing each one's possible occupation. The “target building” itself couldn't have been anything besides a hero agency. Which hero it belonged to, he couldn't tell. It looked familiar but there wasn't enough light to make out any fine details. Surrounding it, he counted an apartment complex, post office, and some mid-rise office buildings.

_The apartment complex looks to be the easiest way up, and from there I can use one of the taller offices. Easy. Though, I'm not looking forward to scaling all of those balconies. One wrong move and I either fall or get caught by one of the residents._

 _Agh, I'm getting distracted again! Focus, Deku. Right, the balconies. How can I do this? I could use the railing, but that's gonna be risky. Oh, wait! Sensei did say had_ **_full_ ** _access to my holograms. It’ll be a bit tiring, but if I can make a ladder and solidify it then I shouldn't have as much trouble getting up. It's a simple enough shape, so I shouldn't lose too much stamina (or get much of a headache for that matter)._

With a decent plan in mind, Izuku made his way over to the apartments. The thing had to be at least a couple of meters higher than the office he was in, meaning he would have to successfully make it up four balconies just to get to the roof. 

“Is it too late to back out of this?” A pause. “What am I thinking, of course it is.”

The first landing was a little lower than the height of the office, so he would have to calculate this jump correctly. If he were to make an over-jump, there was the chance he would accidentally slam into the sliding glass door. And if he underestimated this, he could miss the balcony altogether. The place couldn't have been but a foot or so more than a yard away from Izuku’s location. And while a running start couldn't hurt, it wasn't needed all that much. He backed from the edge as he’d done before, setting on a casual sprint and leapt off.

At least, that's what was supposed to happen. 

Right at the edge in the last second, that's when it went wrong. He tripped, throwing off the trajectory of his leap and sent himself down the wall. Time seemed to slow down in that moment as his mind went into panic. Seeing his mistake, Izuku bitterly thought to himself.

_Change of plans._

Without a moment's hesitation, he shoved himself off the glass wall and prepared a protective bubble. In the process of getting bounced off a new wall and onto a lower balcony, a gathering table(that looked rather expensive), the flower pot on it, and one of the chairs to the table were all bowled over. He cringed at the clatter of broken clay glass and heavy thud from the decently sized cast aluminum furniture. He promised himself that the next time they played this game, he would bring enough money to replace everything that might've been completely destroyed or even damaged. 

However, until then he would have to continue onward and get out of sight before whoever owned the place decided to see what the ruckus was about. Midoriya internally apologized as he created a ladder and worked on solidifying it, which luckily only took a few seconds. The minute it was done, he rushed up to the next floor and hauled the extremely lightweight contraption with him once he was over the railing. 

He continued this process each time, his mind set on getting to the top- too worried to notice much around him that wasn't an immediate focus.

When he made it to the top, he sighed in relief. Almost falling to his death and getting caught in less than the span of two minutes is going on his list of experiences to avoid going through again.

“Note to self: Never trip when jumping from a multi-story building.” 

_Moving on!_

He got rid of the ladder as he made his way over to the side closest to his target and contemplated how to get where he wanted to be. It couldn't be anything that would draw attention to himself (he already did plenty of that earlier). 

A grappling hook could work, it was quiet and small...ish. But he’s never used a grappling hook before and so trying it at that moment didn't sound like a very safe idea. A giant staircase? Nah, that would be kinda weird for any passerby to see and it would take a lot more energy for him to keep it solid. Another ladder? Nope, he’s not taking anymore chances. What _could_ he use? It wasn't like he could just sprout wings and fly to the top. Hold on, that might not be such a bad idea. Well, it was something he could test out _later._ Until then he needed something that would work _now_.

He paced on the roof as he struggled to come up with the perfect way to get where he wanted to be. 

Then it hit him- literally. An enormous weight crashed into Midoriya and pinned him to the ground; the pressure and weight on his chest was quickly lessened but remained enough to keep him down. 

“Tag, you're it motherfucker.” 

That sneaky prick...

“Z, What the hell?? First of all, Where did you even come from and how did you find me? Second of all, _ow_ . You should know by now that you weigh a freakin ton when you're in that other form. What if it wasn't actually me? What if it was an innocent bystander that you just straight up _bull-dozed_?”

Reluctantly, the ravenette refrained from further crushing Izuku and got off, eventually helping the boy up. “ _You_ should know to expect that by now. Especially if you have your guard down. Seriously, you looked so lost in thought that I'm pretty confident if a random fire or something broke out, you wouldn't have noticed. That, and if push _does_ come to shove and we get sued, I’m sure your dad or even Overlord McGee wouldn't mind lending a lawyer or two.”

“That's not the point. You simply don't jump people _overall_ \- it's rude _and_ dangerous.”

”Whatever. The games over anyway,” Xy huffed. 

“So you literally ambushed me for no reason?”

The other teen took on a smug expression, ”Oh no, I had a reason- my entertainment.”

In an irritated tone, Izuku replied, “Just open a freakin portal already.”

Xy complied as he snickered to himself. They went through the gate, unaware of their audience of one. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the discord link if anyone does so desire to join the server: https://discord.gg/G8YNy8KdzS (If you need the code, its G8YNy8KdzS)
> 
> I know its already chapter 7 and our official arcs seem far away, I promise they're not. Just a few more points and events that need to be covered before the whole UA shebang can happen. 
> 
> Also(last thing I promise), I originally didn't mean for Xy/Z to be a person. He was going to simply be the giant feline pet aspect for this lil crossover, but I had ended up making a human version of the cat and I just kinda went with it.


	8. New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I bring you, the beginning of Mothering Izuku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's an Early-ish chapter...Yayyyyyyy.  
> Get ready for a roller-coaster cuz things are gonna start getting interesting from here. :)  
> Anyway, happy reading!

When the two got back, they were informed that they were finally done for the evening; and by default, Izuku won their first round of tag. Seeing as it was still early enough, the short male in question went to the living room and settled for lounging in the conversation pit, while Xy plopped into one of the giant plush bean bags surrounding it. Sensei joined Izuku in the pit, tossing the two boys each an item. 

“The hell is this?” It was a small black box, no bigger than a child's hand, and had an odd weight to it. It just looked like a normal jewelry box. Which was weird, seeing as Xy never wore any. 

“Open it and you’ll find out.” 

Midoriya’s revealed to be a set of dangling earrings. The golden screw-on backs and attached wire hung a singular diamond piece on the end. From his box, Z pulled out a silver band ring that had the slightest blue tint to it. 

“Is there some specific reason why you got us this?” Xy asked, already sliding the item onto his index.

“Did you really forget our conversation that we had all those weeks ago? I said we needed something that would alert you in case of an emergency.”

“And? Shortstack already has another phone, so if he needs something, he can simply _call.”_

Sensei quietly sighed and responded, ”We went over this. If Izuku somehow can't get to his phone and needs help -or even picked up- there needs to be some guaranteed way he’ll be able to notify you.” He gestured to the jewelry. “That is what those are for. Something small and common enough to not be that noticeable.”

The ravenette shrugged, accepting the answer. “Okay. But how do they work?”

“I was about to get to that. Once you put your half on, it’ll immediately set an imprint. This acts as a security measure to ensure that those halves only work for the one they have an imprint to. For example, if Izuku wanted to activate his half, he would have to produce some kind of high-pitched frequency; which in most cases would be a whistle. This would set off an immediate SOS signal to your ring and cause it to activate the tracking chip feature, giving you his exact coordinates.” After he was shot a strange expression from Xy, he added, ”Though, the chip immediately turns off after it’s no longer in use.” 

This time, it was Midoriya who spoke. ”Er, what happens if we were to get into a situation and these were to somehow break?”

Sensei reassured him that it would be near- if not absolutely- impossible to break either half of the set. Z’s ring was completely made of magnesium alloy that was reinforced with silicon carbide, stainless steel, boron nitride, and ten percent diamond. Similarly, the gemstone pieces of his earrings were a mixed product of pure diamond and boron nitride while the pieces they were attached to had been made with stainless steel and tungsten. The components that the ring and earrings were made of ultimately prevented the chance of them being destroyed in battle or during everyday affairs. 

_That still doesn't explain how they work. A quirk perhaps? Possibly two? It would be the likely answer, but there's no telling with the constant upgrade in technology. Especially since we’ve added the factor of quirks that base around the development and interaction with-_

“That would be correct, little one; _excellent_ observation.”

“Ah, I was thinking out loud again…,” Izuku muttered apologetically. 

“Unless you're mid-battle with an enemy, there's no harm in voicing what you're thinking my dear. Besides, you weren't exactly wrong about the quirks. Two of my-er, _associates_ have similar quirks that complement one another, so I specifically requested that they used their abilities on those articles when they were finished being perfected.”

At the mention of new quirks, Midoriya’s eyes lit up as he practically vibrated in his seat. Sensei practically soaked in the enthusiasm and pure joy as he nodded to Izuku and allowed the boy to go get one of his _Quirk Analysis_ journals.

When he first found out about the notebooks, the boy was quite embarrassed and downright _terrified_ about it (his discovery was truly an accident, honest). All For One learned that the reason wasn't himself, but his precious flower’s fear of being judged because of his “weird hobby”. Oh, the irony. His initial, very amused, reaction unfortunately worried the boy even more, but he quickly reassured Izuku that there was no reason to fret- his quirk was solely based _around_ quirks heaven's sake! So, he saw to it that the boy understood he was actually quite pleased to know that he could share his love for quirks with someone.

Once Midoriya got back with his notebook and a bigger grin on his face -if that were even possible-, he and Sensei ended up talking about the two similar quirks for about an hour; Xy leaving somewhere in the middle of it. Though, seeing as it was late, Sensei sent the boy off to bed after promising they could go over more of his associates' quirks after his strength training. 

On the day his birthday came around, they went to the movies to watch some cliché film and ate chocolate chip cookies once they were cooled from being in the oven. The following day, All Might picked him up early in the morning and took him to spend the day at Tokyo Disneyland to celebrate his birthday- information of that specific date courtesy of Xy. 

Afterward, Midoriya fell into a newer schedule for the next few months; starting with breakfast, working on school with Sensei going over topics he deemed were “under-taught” or “false information”, lunch, training, dinner, and bed shortly after. 

At least twice a month on days he had with All Might, they would take the day off and do something relaxing. During training with Sensei, they would stick with the newer exercises until the man decided to switch things up for that day, move on to the next part of that lesson, or occasionally test and practice with the paired support items. Somewhere down the line, around the fifth month, Sensei decided to add in sword training and much to Xy's content, he didn't have to participate in that part. And one of the only things to stay consistent was on days the man would have Izuku and Xy spar until it was dark enough for them to start a round of tag. 

Once when Midoriya asked the ravenette why he never caught up to him when he was the first one _it_ for that round -when he clearly could’ve-, he explained how it was better to just start the game once they actually made it into the city. That, and he didn't care that much for the game; it was more fun to ambush Midoriya at random times instead. 

Fortunately, he was able to find the apartment from before, dropping off a sufficient amount of cash to pay for the damages he’d caused and some, as well as come to find out that his eye went back to normal after about two days. So he didn't have to wear colored contacts, only make-up to hide the facial scar. 

Anyway, six whole months passed before Izuku knew it with the entrance exam slowly creeping up. He could do nothing but continue training and hope for the best when it did arrive.

Tuesday, one of the days he trained with All Might that week- when things changed for Midoriya, for better or worse. 

It was a generally normal morning, Xy made him a portion of eggs and rice before he started on schoolwork for the day. When the three pm mark grew near, he got dressed into the appropriate attire for training, ate a small lunch, and went through one of Xy’s gates to begin strength training. 

As usual, Yagi-san was already there when he arrived.

“Good afternoon, young Midoriya,” the blond greeted, buffing up before he spoke again. **“Are you ready for another day of hard work and community service?”**

Izuku nodded, determination in his voice as he replied, ”Hai!”

**”Excellent! Always wonderful to keep a positive attitude. Now, let us not waste precious time. Go ahead and continue from where you left off on Sunday.”**

Izuku managed to get the rest of the loose debris off a small hill of old and rusted cars that had somehow managed to end up on the beach. He climbed to the top, creating a solid hologram of rope to haul the first car. He made sure to create a secure gripping around the vehicle before attempting to pull it down the mini-mountain. 

At first, it wouldn't budge, but with one last hard tug, it was rolling. He jumped down, using the other cars below as a platform to quickly jump on and from. On the last bit, Midoriya pulled as hard as he could and jumped on top of the roof as the wheeled metal surged forward. Once it landed, he hopped off and continued to pull it. Though, seeing as he was trying to roll it on soft sand, it would be a challenge to get it where he wanted. A challenge he gladly accepted even as it began to strain every other muscle he had. 

From the sidelines, All Might gave him a proud smile and thumbs up, encouraging him to keep going. Those two simple gestures gave him the needed motivation to finish the job and go back for the rest. Only when the pile of rust was down to half its original size did he take a break from it to work on the somewhat easier stuff. Eventually, the blond let him rest long enough to rehydrate, sending him off to continue after the boy was done. 

Soon, the sun set as the stars came out; some blocked by storm clouds rolling in. At the first sign of rain, All Might signaled it was time to stop. Right as they got to the car, the gentle sprinkle began to pick up into a light rain. It progressively got worse and Toshinori didn't want to take any chances, so he sped up in an attempt to outrace the storm. 

As the heavy rain turned into a downpour, Izuku asked, ”Yagi-san, shouldn't you slow down?” His mind was laced with worry. 

“If this gets any worse, we’ll be sitting ducks until it calms down.” It was blunt, void from being sugar-coated. 

Izuku understood- anything could happen if they do end up having to stop in the middle of the road. However, he still had his concerns.

“I know, but what if the car slides out of control?” He sighed. “With all due respect sir, I’d rather be stuck for a bit than keep going and risk anything happening.”

Toshinori glanced at Midoriya, trying to keep a calm tone as he spoke. ”I just want to get you home where it's safe. Hell, I should’ve had us leave earlier. At least then we wouldn't have been in this mess.” 

Izuku could hear the guilt and distress in his voice. It was- ”BREAKS!”

Someone out at night, trying to run across the road. During a storm. They were small. And Midoriya saw the flash of terror in their eyes before he cried out the warning. Immediately after, Yagi slammed the breaks. The tires screeched to a halt and Midoriya was jerked forward before his seatbelt automatically locked up to stop the sudden movement. His heart raced as his breathing became quick and irregular. 

The blond silently cursed beside him. 

After a pause of processing, Midoriya whispered, ”A child.”

His mind and body ran on autopilot as he frantically unbuckled and jumped out of the car with Yagi following suit. Just inches in front of the hood was a little girl. Her white hair looked unkempt, practically matching the color of the bandages on her arms and legs. The plain dress she wore resembled one you would find in a hospital. Those were the first two red flags. She sported a small horn on the side of her forehead, just below the hairline. 

Midoriya slowly approached the crouched form, careful not to scare her. Once he was in front of her, he spoke loud enough for her to hear him but quiet as to not startle her. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked as he gently looked her over, checking for any obvious injuries. 

She looked up. Her eyes filled with fear as she flinched from where his hand first made contact. She shook her head, but let Midoriya continue his quick search. He was sure to not grab or put too much pressure anywhere, only light and careful touches. Other than her wrapped limbs, he didn't see anything concerning. Not even a look of pain as he felt for any trauma. 

The third red flag was how pale and cold she was. Even with the yellow hue from the headlights, he could see how sickly her skin looked. She was shivering and panting as if she’d been outside in the rain since it had started.

“Are you sure you're not in any pain?” She nodded. “Alright hon, I’m going to pick you up now. Is that okay?” She nodded with hesitance on her face. “One, two,” he said, gently picking her up from under her arms, “and up we go.” He adjusted her to sit halfway on his hip while his arms supported the rest of her weight. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders. 

The fourth red flag: She was extremely light for her size. The most likely case would have to be that she was underfed and malnourished.

When they got in the car, Yagi put on the heater as Izuku set her to sit sideways in his lap. She still didn't let go; her grip was firm but shaky. 

“It’s okay, you're-”

“P-please do-n't make me go ba-ck.” It was barely a whisper, but he still heard it. 

Slowly, he asked, ”Go back where?”

It took a minute, but she answered, ”To _him._ I-i don't wa-nt to go back. I-it hurts.” Her voice shook and her shivering became tremors. Izuku could feel the warm tears that dampened his shoulder more than it was. 

“It’s okay. We won’t make you go back, you’re safe now.” He reassured her of this as he rubbed gentle circles on her back in an attempt to help calm her. He had no idea if it would work, but he was going to try. It worked on him when he was younger, so it was worth a shot. 

He looked over to Yagi, nodding his head forward to get the blond to drive. Luckily, Yagi understood. Unlike before, he drove slower this time. 

Izuku looked back at the girl in his arms, “Can I get your name sweetheart? It’s perfectly fine if you don't want to tell me.”

She let out a shaky breath before she responded. ”E-Eri.”

_We have a name, that's a good start._

He smiled, hoping that it would help ease her worry. “It’s very nice to meet you Eri. I’m Izuku and that nice man over there is Mr. Yagi.”

“Mr. Yagi a-and Iz-Izu-... Izu-” He could hear how she struggled to say his name, so he tried a different approach. “It’s okay if you can’t pronounce my name. If it’s easier, you can call me Deku.”

“De-ku. Deku.” _Eri_ tested the name, seeming to struggle less with it.

_Next thing on the list…_

“Eri, is it fine if I take a look at your arms?”

With her head resting on his shoulder, she nodded and held her arms out. Midoriya took that as his cue to unravel the bandages. His movements were slow, never sudden as to not startle her or scare her more than she already is. 

When he finished with the first arm, Izuku felt nauseous. Clear marks of countless incisions littered her arm. He unwrapped the second arm, and sure enough, it was the same. Some were fresh and scabbed over while the rest was old and scarred. Out of those that stood out the most was the deep, purple bruise that was in the shape of an adult hand. It couldn't have been anything else- Izuku has seen too much of it on himself to not recognize it. 

_What kind of a monster would do such a thing to a child??_

Eri? I need you to be honest with me hon. M’kay?” A nod. “Do these hurt?” 

“Y-yes.”

“Would you like me to take that pain away?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to hold still for me, okay? It’ll only take a minute.”

The tears from before that had disappeared returned along with the intense shaking and fearful expression. “P-please no more hurt. I’m sorry! I’ll be good!” She hid her face in the crook of his neck as her hands balled up in his shirt. What he said must've triggered something. 

_Note to self: watch for any phrases that might upset her._

“Oh no, I’m not going to hurt you, hon. It’ll be completely pain-free.”

Her grip tightened as she shook her head.

“Here, how about this: I can show you how my quirk works, and then you can decide if I use it. Sounds good?”

She kept her head where it was, but turned it to face him and gave a small nod. 

Midoriya took his thumb and used one of his canine teeth to make a decent cut on it. Before he put his hand where she could see the cut, he checked if there was any blood. It was only in the cut itself, so he deemed that it should suffice and lowered his hand to be in front of her. Considering its part of his quirk, crying came easy- even when he had to force it. 

She observed the scene, almost in curiosity, as only a drop touched the small incision and healed it over just as fast as it came. Then she looked up, watching the tears slide down his face. 

She sniffed. “Y-your crying..”

“Mhm. That’s how my quirk works, but it’s quick and easy. No pain.”

With hesitance, she held her arms out once more. 

He forced out more tears, making sure to get a few drops on each arm. The fresher wounds and bruises disappeared without a hitch while some of the scars finished healing. When it was done Izuku wiped any excess tears from his face, asking, ”Feel better?”

Another nod while she whispered, ”Thank you.” And soon, she was falling sound asleep. 

The boy sighed, continuing to hold the small form. “Wherever she came from, she’s not going back.”

“No kidding.”

“We can’t take her to the police.”

“I’m afraid we might not have a choice my boy.”

“If we do that, it’ll put her at risk for being found by whoever she ran from. Until we can figure out what to do, the safest place for her right now is UA. Besides, Chiyo-san would still be in her office by this time and we need to make sure Eri isn’t suffering any internal damage.”

“I suppose you're right. Nezu would likely still be on school grounds as well, so he should be able to help.” Yagi made a turn, already changing course. 

Izuku took out his phone, going to his contacts. ”I’ll let Z know that I’ll be home late.”

“I’ll give Nezu a heads up.”

He put the device to his ear, hearing it ring seven times before it was answered. 

_“Yo.”_

“Hey. I’m not gonna be back until later tonight.”

_“Why not?”_

He looked down at the sleeping girl, “Something happened so now we have to go to UA for a bit.”

_“Did you get hurt or some shit?”_

“Something like that.”

_“I better get an explanation when you get back, but I’ll make sure to put your dinner in the fridge.”_

“Deal.”

And just like that, the call ended. 

When the blond went to call Nezu, he put it on speaker and set it on the dashboard so he could still focus on driving. It only rang twice before it stopped. Izuku somehow managed to only meet the small principle once in all the years he’d had his weekly visits with Recovery Girl. 

_“Toshinori, it’s good to hear from you, my friend! To what do I owe the pleasure of talking to you so soon after our meeting?”_

“Hello, sir. I hope I didn't interrupt if you were working, but er-.”

_“Is something the matter?”_

“I’m going to be blunt with you sir, yes. Quite a bit.”

_“What seems to be the problem?”_

“I’ll explain it more when we get there. But it’s a child. Her arms and legs were covered in bandages and she looked like she had been running from someone specific. We’re not sure who yet.” 

_“Oh my. Then I guess I should be expecting your arrival soon?”_

“Yes sir. Though, we’ll be taking her straight to Chiyo so you’ll have to meet us there.”

_“Sounds like a plan.”_

And so the second call met its end. Yagi glanced at Midoriya, noting that the boy had maneuvered the frail-looking girl so she was in a more comfortable position to sleep. It reminded him of how a mother would hold their child. Protective, but caring and gentle. 

Snapping out his daze, the blond began to see the growing structure of UA in all of its glory.

When they arrived, he drove around and parked at the school’s back entrance. It was still raining, but the downpour definitely calmed down from its original intensity. Even as they got out and the light rain hit, Eri stayed asleep- her grip around the boy carrying her never losing its firmness. 

Walking through the double doors, Yagi commented, ”Poor kid, she must’ve run so far to stay asleep like that.” 

“Yeah…” Izuku paused. ”Ya Know, earlier, when we first found her, she looked exhausted. It was like she was fighting to stay awake until she knew she was safe enough. But a child shouldn't have to go through something so bad, that it puts them in that kind of mentality. T-to fight a-and claw to stay awake, to keep go-ing, until you can be absolutely sure tha-at it's okay to finally stop. We still don’t know what happened, much less _wh-o_ or _where_ she escaped from.” His voice cracked and his vision became more and more blurry the longer he spoke. A few tears escaped and he was quick to wipe them with his free hand, but made sure to put it back so his hold on Eri was secure. 

Yagi patted the viridescent curls to comfort the boy. “It's gonna be just fine young Midoriya. She’s safe now, and we’ll make sure that she never has to go back.”

“Agh, I’m getting emotional again.”

“That’s quite alright. It’s better to express how you feel rather than bottle it up.” As the tall blond said this, he couldn't help but think how the boy looked like a kicked puppy. It made him want to comfort the boy until he was back to smiling and looking like a happy little bunny. 

_Wrong time to be thinking of that, Toshi!_

“Principle Nezu, sorry we came on such short notice.”

Yagi looked down and sure enough, there he was. The man-er, rat, bear, dog- rodent, himself. 

“No worries, Izuku. Sometimes we can do nothing but handle these kinds of situations to the best of our abilities, and you certainly made the right call bringing her here.” He gestured for Yagi to carry him. 

Familiar enough with this kind of request from the principal, Yagi understood and set the rodent to sit on his shoulder as they resumed walking in the direction of their next destination, continuing their conversation.

“Er-Thank you? Though to be honest, I was kind of panicking the whole time.” 

_I’ve literally been winging it since this whole mess started._

“That's perfectly fine- it's human nature to panic in stressful situations like these. The important thing is that she’s here now, where she can get proper medical attention and care in this secure facility.” Midoriya nodded in agreement. “Though, might I say that she’s already become quite attached. You must be a natural with kids, seeing as she must not want to let go- in a state of rest no less.” 

Pink dusted his cheeks at the comment. “Er, I just did what I thought anyone would do in that situation. She was scared and hurt, so the best course of action was to gain her trust and make sure she understood she was safe.”

“And what a mighty fine job you did.”

Yagi frowned, upset at the boy’s words. While it wasn't self-criticizing, it was pretty damn close. “You don't give yourself enough credit, young Midoriya. Not many people would've been able to handle that correctly. Hell, if you weren’t there, I probably would’ve made the situation worse.”

“Wha- But, Mr. Yagi, you’re- well, _you.”_

Before the blond could respond, Nezu cut in. ”If you’re worried about revealing his identity Izuku, I already know.”

“Oh.”

“Toshinori here is right. You should accept your achievements and success. But enough of that, it looks like -Eri was it?- is waking up.”

Nezu wasn’t kidding. Midoriya could feel the sluggish movements of the girl getting up from her nap. She yawned, only taking one of her hands off from around his shoulders to rub the sleep from her eyes before putting it right back. 

“De-” another yawn- ”ku? Wh-ere are we going?” She looked over to Nezu and flinched, not expecting the new face. Luckily, the chimera didn't seem to mind, simply giving a friendly wave to the child. She lowered her voice so only Midoriya could hear her next question. “Who’s tha-at?”

Keeping his volume soft, he replied, “That’s Principal Nezu. Don’t worry, he’s nice. As for where we’re going, to someone who’ll be able to make sure you're okay.”

“W-why? Is there something wrong with me?”

Izuku was quick to ease her worries. ”Of course not, hon. But let's say if you're sick, we need to get you the proper medicine or care, or if you’re malnourished, we need to get you on a proper diet. Does that make sense?”

A nod. ”I think so, but what does mal- malnour- what does that one word mean?”

“It means that you're not getting the right amount of vitamins and nutrients that your body needs.”

“Oh. I-i'm sorry...”

He went back to rubbing circles on her back as he spoke. ”There's no reason to apologize, hon. We just need to make sure you’re healthy. It’ll be like a quick little check-up.”

breath picked up as she shook her head with another round of tears starting to show. She frantically tried to protest, ”I do-n’t like ch-check-ups. They hurt.”

“Hey now, you’re gonna be just fine.” He held her out, only enough so she could face him. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

After a moment of silence, she asked, ”Promise?” That one word was filled with desperate hope and trust. It did something to his heart- he wanted to shield and protect this girl from anything that could pose a threat. Even now, if someone tried to hurt her for a second, he wouldn't hesitate to put a shield and bubble up. Ha, and Nezu said that _she_ was the one getting attached. For once, the principle might be wrong...

Izuku held out his free hand, leaving only the smallest finger up. “Pinky promise.” When they hooked fingers, Eri didn't smile, but the expression on her face was most content he’s seen since that evening, so he counts that as a win. Satisfied with the exchange, Eri relaxed more in his hold, loosening her grip until it was more of a hug. Izuku could almost feel the tears of joy starting to build in his eyes- 

_Wait a damn minute._

Both males beside him have stayed weirdly quiet since the girl woke up. Oh sweet mercy, he almost forgot they were there and the fact that they saw that _entire_ exchange. 

He had the sudden urge to go crawl in a hole until the embarrassment wore off. But alas, that would have to be done later. 

When Yagi opened the door to Recovery Girl’s office, they saw no one inside. The blond set Nezu down before they went in, Izuku opting for sitting on the patient bed while the principal went off to search for the school nurse.

It only took a minute for Midoriya to hear the voice of his mentor as she and Nezu came from the other room. She was grumbling under her breath; it was too quiet to be coherent. However, she immediately perked to attention at the sight of the small body latched onto her pupil. 

“I can only assume this is the girl that Nezu informed me of?”

Izuku confirmed with a short, ”Yeah.”

She sighed. ”Poor dearie. Let me go get the proper paperwork and supplies and we can be on our way.”

She shortly came back with the essentials for a physical and approached the bed. While Eri didn't seem as wary as before, she still stayed cautious and hesitant. 

“I’m going to be checking your heartbeat, temperature, and blood pressure first dearie,” Chiyo explained as she plugged in the earpieces of the stethoscope. “Fair warning, the first one is going to be a bit cold.”

The girl flinched at the cold metal, but luckily understood it was relatively harmless and was more compliant during the next two tests. After filling out the information, Recovery Girl shared an unsure look with her pupil.

Izuku already knew what came next; after all, his Friday afternoons spent with Chiyo-san weren't for nothing. He hopped off the bed and set himself beside the scale, lowering to sit on his knees. Eri didn't budge. 

“Eri, we need to check your height and weight, okay hon? It’ll be super quick,” he tried to reassure her. 

She was quiet for a few moments. Almost pleading, she asked, ”You won’t le-ave, right?”

He smiled, hoping the gesture would help with some of her fears. “Mhm! I’ll be here the whole time.”

It sedated her anxiety, for the time being, allowing her to let go of the teen and step onto the scale. Chiyo guided her to stand straight with her back against the height rod and quickly wrote down the needed information. When she allowed the two to sit back on the bed again, Eri settled on holding Izuku’s hand for comfort. 

“Two more things and then we’ll be done, dearie. First, I need to get those bandages off your legs and see just what we’re dealing with.”

Seeing no protest or added discomfort from the girl, Recovery Girl took that as a go-ahead. Eri flinched when the nurse’s hands would graze a spot on her leg, but other than that she stayed still. Her legs were just as bad, if not worse than her arms. There were plenty of bruises that accompanied the clear incision marks. It looked like they were trying to _discourage_ her from running far. What good that did, seeing as she’s away from those assholes who dared to put their hands on a _child_ . The more Izuku thought about, the more he worked himself up, so he pushed it from his mind- _only until tomorrow when I can let off some steam…_

“My, it's worse than I thought.” She turned around, stating, ”I’ll be right back,” before she left the room once more. 

Eri tightened her grip as she looked up to Midoriya, eyes filled with uncertainty. ”Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all.”

Chiyo came back with a small glass cup- it’s continents giving off a pleasant aroma. She handed the cup to the girl, revealing it was matcha milk tea. She took a few sips, humming. 

“Is it good Eri?”

A nod. ”It’s sweet.”

Knowing his mentor, Chiyo-san most likely used his tears as a replacement sweetener; so once she finishes the drink, any discomfort or pain she might've had before would've disappeared without a trace. 

Nezu suddenly spoke up, startling both Midoriya and the girl. ”Now that we have that out the way, we should discuss her temporary living arrangements until we can arrange something more permanent. Though, I think I already know who will be taking care of her.” He turned to the boy. ”You wouldn't mind, would you Midoriya?”

Yagi cut in, ”Wha- Nezu, sir, you can’t just throw that responsibility onto the boy like that!”

“I assumed it was obvious from the start, was it not?”

Before the blond could defend him again, Izuku chimed in. ”I actually wouldn't mind if she stayed with us for a bit. There’s plenty of room for her and nine out of ten times, there's someone at home. Though, with me being home most of the time now, I’d only have to have Z watch over her a few times if for some reason she couldn't go with me.”

“That’s excellent news!” Nezu chirped. 

Yagi couldn't help but think the principle had some other motive when he assigned the girl to Midoriya- nothing bad per se, but still an ulterior motive nonetheless. 

“This might be out of the blue, but Eri, do you like cats?”

She tilted her head, “Cats? What’s that?”

_Oh, sweet mercy. She must've been sheltered from anything and everything but that horrible place._

It was times like these when Izuku was grateful for remembering to keep his phone with him. He did a google image search of cats and lowered and tilted his phone so she could see the screen. ”These are cats. Some people keep them as pets, but only the smaller ones. Sometimes, when they’re happy, cats will make this noise called a purr. It’s like a rumble that only they can make with their voice box. And then there's their fur, which can be _super_ soft.” He let the girl take in and process all the new information before he continued. “We have one at home -technically- that I’m sure would love to meet you.”

_Is the kit talking about that other fellow that drops him off- Z, if I recall?_

Still no smile, even as her eyes lit up. ”Really?”

He beamed, ”Yep! Though, fair warning: he’s a _bit_ bigger than your average house cat.”

Yagi couldn't help but think in amusement, _Considering how big his quirk made him when I first saw him, I’d say that's an understatement._

“..Isn't that right, Toshinori?”

Snapping out of his daze, he realized Nezu had likely been talking to him for who knows how long. ”Ah-what was that sir? Sorry, I spaced out for a second there.”

“It was nothing too important. I was simply suggesting that you get the boy home, so little Eri can have more time to adjust and get some rest.” As if to prove his point, the girl yawned. 

“O-oh. Yes, of course.”

Before they left, Nezu put his number into Izuku’s phone and said, ”So you can keep me updated. And if there’s anything you need, give me a call.”

Midoriya nodded, picking up the clearly tired girl, and headed back to the car along with Toshinori. When they got to the vehicle, Eri looked like she was moments from passing out, but her newfound excitement kept her awake. It was like that the whole ride, even during Midoriya's call with Z. Now _that_ was a short but awkward conversation- at least on Midoriya’s part it was.

_“What is it this time, shortstack?”_

“Nothing’s wrong, per se, _but_ I do have a favor to ask of you before I get home.”

_“Okay?”_

“I-um. How do I say this?... Can you. Use your...giant-cat-quirk for a bit? It’ll make more sense once we get there. I think.”

_“Kind of an odd request. I’ll be getting an explanation anyway, so sure, why not.”_

“Thank you”

_“Was that it?”_

“Yeah, that was all.”

_“Cool. Peace.”_

And the call ended almost as quickly as it started. It took some mental coaxing for Midoriya to convince himself that the whole conversation didn't go as bad as he personally thought.

Eri’s eyes were half-lidded as she fought to stay awake; she would be sleeping once they got back anyway, so Izuku let it be.

When they arrived at the _mansion,_ Izuku noticed the hesitant and worried look that the blond had sported at least half the trip there.

“Is something wrong Yagi-san?”

“Are you sure you can take care of her? Not that I doubt that you’d be able to do it. It’s just, what’s going to happen when your mother returns home from work ”

_Ah, shit. How could I almost forget? He has_ **_yet_ ** _to find out Mom isn’t in Japan... hasn’t been for some time. Ah yes, he thinks that her job tends to send her on frequent trips that force her to be away from home. And while she’s gone, a family friend comes over to make sure I’m okay. The lie that I keep rolling. Like a snowball. One day it’ll all come crashing down as the truth is revealed. Though, Child abandonment technically isn't_ **_that_ ** _bad. And is it still considered that if I have unlimited access to Dad's credit card, and mom occasionally comes to visit- y’know, to make sure I haven't burned down the house or broken anything. She never says it, and I know she still loves me, but that look in her eyes every time I see her, it’s as if her thoughts and fears are spelled out in front of me-_

_Wait. Come to think of it, the last time she visited us, much less Japan, it was like, Christmas? No, it was only a gift that Dad sent in the mail._

“Oh, don't worry about that. I’ll definitely make sure to give her a heads up if Eri’s still with me and she’s able to come home.”

_Yep. Keep the ball rolling. Easy. Question is, how long am I gonna be able to_ **_keep_ ** _this thing rolling?_

“If you're sure.”

“Positive.”

“Alright. If you need to take the day off so Eri can adjust better, let me know.”

“Yes sir.” Izuku grinned, waving to the blond as he backed up from the driveway and left. He sighed in relief. If that’s what someone considers the feeling of after internally panicking. 

He focused his attention on Eri, holding her on his hip. “You ready to see a giant cat?”

She responded with short, quick nods. .[

He walked in the door and was welcomed by silence. “I guess we’ll have to find him first.”

Midoriya checked the living room first; Lo and behold, there he stood. Well, laid. It was like he decided to randomly flop onto his side, in the middle of the room. 

“Z, we’re back.”

The feline picked up his head, ” _Mrrow.”_ The sound was like what it would normally be for an average housecat, but deeper. A lot deeper. 

He put Eri down to see what she would do. After only a moment's hesitation, she strolled over to Xy as Izuku made sure to stay with her. Once she was close enough she kneeled behind his head, but looked up to Izuku, asking for permission. 

“It's okay, you can pet him,” he said, sitting next to her.

Eri reached her hand out and settled it on the cat's head, near the base of an ear. As if testing the waters, she kept her hand where it was, but flexed it open and closed. A deep rumble followed suit, filling the near-silent room. She started to guide her hand down to the feline's neck and started over as the purring got louder. 

“D-does that mean he’s happy?”

“Yep! This guy loves attention, so right now he’s pretty content.”

“‘Kay.” 

She continued petting Xy for some time until Midoriya noticed she was starting to doze off.

_She must be exhausted._

“Let's get you to bed, hon. Would you like to sleep in your own room?”

She shook her head.

Z got up, stretching out before he nudged Eri and looked up to Izuku. The boy could only assume Xy was offering to carry her, so he set the girl on the Feline’s back. She seemed to snuggle into the mane-like fluff around his neck. Xy carried her the whole way to Izuku’s room until they got to his bed. Midoriya picked her up to tucked her in and said, ”I’ll be back in a minute,” before he left the room. 

Xy had stopped using his other quick by the time he cracked the door. The ravenette didn't say anything, but gestured to the room they stood outside of. 

“It's kind of hard to explain.” 

“How is _that_ hard to explain?? It's a child. Just- start from the beginning.”

“It was raining really bad and Yagi-san was basically trying to outrun it. But then out of nowhere this kid just runs across the middle of the road.”

Z raised a brow. ”At night? In the middle of a storm?”

“Yeah, that was kinda my first thought. Luckily, Yagi-san stopped quick enough, so she wasn't hurt- at least, more than she already was anyway. We took her to Recovery girl and got her a quick physical, but other than that we don't know much about her. She’s been skittish almost the whole time since we’d found her. That on top of all the scars on her arm and legs, we could only assume she’d ran from somewhere bad.”

“How bad are we talking?”

“There were _incision_ marks on her and several bruises in the shape of handprints. Some were fresh while others were clearly old. She’s wary of new people and looked exhausted- like she had run far. It could have only been a few blocks or even miles, but we’re not sure.”

Z ran a hand through his hair, processing the information he had just been given. “Damn.”

“Yeah…Wherever she came from, there's no way in _hell_ that I'm gonna let her go back.”

“No kidding. So what’s gonna happen now?”

“We talked to principal Nezu about it, he said she’ll be staying with us temporarily. Just until he can figure out a more permanent home for her.”

“Hm. Kinda off-topic, but what’s with the horn?” he said, pointing to his own forehead.

“We don’t know. But I’m guessing it has something to do with her quirk.”

“Well, I’ll let Suit’n’Tie know to let you sleep in and cancel training tomorrow. If he wants to know any more, you will be the one to explain it.”

He turned to the door, “Night Z.”

The ravenette muttered, ”Night,” and left to go to his own room. 

The girl was peacefully asleep when he crawled in bed to join her. His dinner was forgotten as he succumbed to the call of sleep as well. 

[Discord Link](https://discord.gg/G8YNy8KdzS)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates should be a bit quicker from now on but no promises.  
> Low-key, this chapter should've been out sooner, but procrastination is like a drug.


	9. The Days After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's always the good before the bad. (:
> 
> Also, my attempt at some angst. Enjoy

The following Wednesday wasn’t as bad as it could've been, but Midoriya wouldn't call it near perfect either. 

It started off a bit rough, but overall okay. Izuku woke up to Sensei playfully nudging and poking him awake, as well as telling him it was “time to get up” in a sing-song tune. He realized that he had the new -temporary- member of their household in a protective hold, which was pretty embarrassing; and he would have kept that embarrassed mindset if it wasn't for the fact that with the noise, it risked waking up Eri. 

_Hell no._

And considering her state the night before, she would only be waking up on her terms; not because Xy and Sensei caused her to get up. So as any half-awake and sensible person would do, Midoriya _glared_ at the closest person in his peripheral vision, which turned out to be Sensei. The man looked borderline shocked at the action while Xy looked ready to laugh his ass off. The ravenette could only compose himself long enough to get out, ”Barely day one and he’s more concerned for the child than you,” before he went back to struggling to keep himself together. 

Alas, it was too late as the girl was already stretching out and yawning. She eventually sat up and rubbed her eyes, but was startled by the two sudden and new faces. She didn't hesitate to tug on Izuku’s sleeve to get his attention.

_Guess we’re getting up after all._

He sat up, stretching for a good minute himself before he slid off the bed and turned to her. “It’s okay Eri, those two are harmless.”

He was right so far, so Midoriya could only hope it was easier for her to trust what he said. “‘Kay”

“Would you like me to carry you or do you wanna walk?” She put out her arms in response, and honestly, he understood. Waking up and immediately having the opportunity to be carried, it’s a given to take it. During the times Sensei has offered to carry him and when he _does it_ , it’s appreciated; but, the embarrassment and guilt that the man is going out of his way to do it usually messes with him, so he’s never actually asked. 

Upset that the girl wasn't awake on her own terms, Midoriya huffed as he carried himself and Eri downstairs, Sensei trailing right behind. He yawned, asking, ”What time is it anyway?”

Out of his shocked state from before, he said, ”About a quarter past one, my dear. You were asleep for _at least_ 12 hours, so I thought it was appropriate to get you up. Did I no make the right call?“

He yawned again, still half asleep as he replied, ”It’s fine I guess. I wanted to make sure Eri got enough rest, but twelve hours was probably enough. She’ll need to go to bed early tonight anyway.” Then he remembered she probably hasn't eaten and should get something on her stomach. That and right before he crawled in bed the night before, Recovery Girl had sent him her physical results. It was confirmed that she was extremely malnourished as well as low on iron. 

_Hopefully, Z considered Eri and made something she’ll be able to stomach._

The aroma of cooked eggs got stronger as he got closer to the kitchen, almost answering his plea. Breakfast-er, brunch, turned out to be eggs over a bowl of plain, white rice and smoothies that consisted of bananas, apples, and honey.

Eri looked at Izuku, pointing to her portion and asking if she was allowed to eat it, he nodded. Izuku put his hands together and Eri copied the action. All three males chorused “ _itadakimasu”,_ and she attempted to mimic that as well. When she struggled to pronounce the whole thing and Midoriya assured her it was perfectly fine if she couldn't do it. She was only, what- between four and six. Until he was nine, he couldn't pronounce _Katsuki_ to save his life. It was kinda sad honestly. 

_Anywho_ , after bellies were filled, an apology to Sensei once it sunk in that Izuku _glared_ at _him_ , and an explanation that the giant cat from before was the ravenette’s quirk, the short teen knew it was time to get Eri some outfits and necessities. A shopping trip was due. The only problem: they don't know how she would react to being in public, much less if it was safe for her. 

All For One offered to use a few appearance alteration quirks and a few illusion quirks so the girl would be completely unrecognizable. That was out the way at least. Getting the girl to agree, also not as hard as they thought. All it mainly took was some convincing that yes, Midoriya would stay by her side the whole time. 

Sensei changed her hair color to black and iris’s to blue while creating an illusion over her horn- all of this would last for eight hours unless he reapplied the quirk or changed the colors back beforehand. Izuku braided her hair and afterward, Xy slipped an Ingenium sweatshirt over her dress. When Midoriya asked where he got it from, his reply was, ”Your closet and I had Suit’n’Tie shrink it down a notch so it would fit better.”

The shopping trip itself was more or less fine. Izuku carried her half the time, and when she got enough confidence, she settled on holding his hand instead. Xy would usually find different outfits and shoes that she liked and at some point, they found a store that was completely hero-themed. The older teen was quick to buy an All Might onesie similar to one Deku used to wear and had the girl wear it for the remainder of the trip. Along the way, a few older couples awed and _cooed_ at the display while others commented on how cute their “little sister” was. Because of this, Z wore a proud and smug expression for the rest of the time. 

By the time they were done, and a borderline four hours had passed and they had two weeks worth of outfits and pajamas, shoes, an appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush socks, er- under-clothing, coloring books, and colored pencils as well as crayons, and a variety of toys -of her choice- which included a few hero action figures.

Until she was comfortable sleeping in a room of her own, they put her clothes and other essentials with Midoriya's stuff. Thankfully, she knew how to do the basics like brushing her teeth, brushing her hair- though, they’ll probably have to get it cut eventually- getting dressed...etc. 

By the time everything was taken care of, it was time for bed. Just in time too, since Eri had been half asleep at the last stretch of the day. 

On Thursday, Izuku woke up early enough to text Yagi and let him know he wouldn't be going back to training yet. The man understood, saying it was perfectly fine, seeing as the beach was so close to being completely cleared anyway. As soon as the conversation had met its end, he went right back to sleep until the two were woken up by Xy, who was using his transformative quirk. While he took his time waking up completely, Eri had slid onto the felines before they left for breakfast.

At least Eri was happy-er, pleased to wake up to loud and non-stop purring. Another thing they’ll have to work on was getting the girl to smile. Even with the more positive expressions and the progress they’ve had, she’s yet to smile. Izuku wants to ask her about it, but that would be rude and he would rather not risk triggering anything. 

There wasn’t really anything to do for the day since Xy had already taken the liberty of making sure she was fed and dressed for the day. Luckily, he hadn't gone overboard with the outfit and stuck with red leggings, a white sweater, and a red bow on each pigtail to top it off. Usually, Izuku would be at training anyway, so he wasn't too sure what to do.

At least, that's what Midoriya thought until after he finished his second Dorayaki. Eri stood at his side, fiddling with her hands and keeping her focus on the ground. “Deku? Can- can you tell me about heroes?”

He grinned, getting up from his spot at the counter to lead them both to the living room. “I’d be happy to! Though, may I ask when this came up?”

“It’s just, o-overhaul always s-said that heroes were ba-ad. He would s-say how they were only a nui-nuis-”

“A nuisance?” His smile faltered into the start of a frown

_Overhaul. So the piece of shit has a name, huh._

“Mhm.” she looked up at him with hope. ”But that’s not true right?”

”Of course that's not true, hon.” While yes, some were heroes for less... _respectable_ reasons… ”Heros protect us and work to keep peace in our cities. They risk their lives every day to keep us safe and save us in the moments that disaster strikes when we least expect it.” He took his respected place in the pit, patting the seat next to him.

Eri sat, her voice gaining an edge of fear. “W-what abo-ut quirks? H-he said tha-at they were a disease that needed t-to be cured.”

“He’s just as wrong about that. Quirks are gifts that were given to us. Some of those gifts are strong and some considered weak, others viewed for specific hobbies or jobs- it all depends on how someone might personally view them. However, these gifts shouldn't be taken advantage of. Some people aren't born with powers and so they're viewed as less when they're just as human as the rest of us.” She mumbled something but he couldn't make out what it was. “What was that Eri?”

“My power isn't a gift...it’s a curse.” She curled up, holding her legs to her chest. He could see the tears beginning to form. 

“Was that what Overhaul told you?”

“Yeah.”

Midoriya began to gently rub circles on her back in an attempt to comfort. ”Can you tell me what your quirk is? If you don’t want to tell me that's perfectly fine.”

“I-...I c-can reverse things back t-to their original state. At least, that’s what he told me”

“That sounds like a gift to me. With that kind of power, there’s no limit to the good things you could do. Although, if you really don't want to use it, there are just as many good things you could do without it. ”

”You really think so?”

“Of course.” 

A moment of silence passed and she whispered, ”Thank you.”

_Oh right! We got off track from her original question._

“So Eri, was there anything else you wanted to know about heroes?”

She took a minute to think. “Who’s the man that’s on those posters and calendars in your room?”

“A-ah. That would be All Might.”

“All...Might?”

“Mhm! No matter what, he always saves the day with a smile. He’s basically the embodiment of what a hero is- it's why he’s number one.”

“What about that man with the weird hair?”

“Weird hair?”

“Yeah, it kind of reminds me of a banana.”

Oh, sweet mercy. He’d never thought of it like that. Sure, Midoriya always thought Present Mic _had_ to use tons of hairspray to keep it like that, but the style reminded him more of a cockatoo. So banana was a new one.

“That would be Present Mic, the voice hero. He’s managed to juggle two other jobs when he’s not a hero. And then there's his quirk; it allows him to amplify his voice a lot so sometimes when he needs to take down bad guys, he’s gotta be _super_ loud.”

“ _Wow_ …” That single word was laced in wonder and amazement. 

And that’s how the rest of the day went: Eri asking about different heroes and quirks while Izuku happily explained each one. With each new hero they talked about, Midoriya would make a holographic figurine, occasionally demonstrating with it when it was needed. Well, until dinner and when it was time to settle down for bed. 

Midoriya was proud of Eri. In only two days, she’s come out of her shell so much from where she originally started. She still stayed near one of the two teens most of the time and asked for just about everything. It was progress nonetheless. 

Before anything else, he texted Nezu. 

**Me: Good Evening sir. I hope I'm not disturbing you,**

**but earlier today I got some information from Eri that you might want to know.**

**Nezu: Good Evening young Izuku! I assure you that you're not disturbing anything of importance.**

**Now, what vital information needs to be brought to my attention?**

**Me: The man that Eri escaped from goes by the alias, Overhaul. I hate assuming the worst, but since Eri mentioned he doesn't take too kindly to heroes nor quirks, I can't help but feel like he’s considered a villain. Also, her quirk apparently reverses matter to its original state. I can’t be sure how it works specifically since she’s yet to use it, but he convinced her that her quirk was a curse. I’m worried that she’s more traumatized than we thought.**

**Nezu: I thank you for informing me of this. I’ll be researching this individual Asap and don't you worry about her. I’ve already set up specific therapy sessions when she’s ready.**

**Me: That’s good to know and I appreciate all you've done, sir.**

**Nezu: Think of it as partial repayment for all the good you yourself have done for UA.**

He left the conversation at that, too tired to do anything more before he crawled in bed with the girl, eventually drifting off. 

Friday morning went as usual, it was quite easy-going and calm. Which is exactly why Midoriya wasn't the least bit surprised when Xy suggested something only _he_ would manage to come up with.

“Come on bunny boy., it’ll be fun.”

“Dude. No. We are not taking her on one of our free-runs, end of conversation.”

Eri tugged on the hem of his sleeve, pleading in her eyes. ”Please?”

Well, he couldn't say no to that face, could he? He didn't want to risk her getting hurt, but he also didn't want her to be upset. He slid a hand down his face, sighing. 

In the end, she was allowed to go. Even sensei said it would be a good experience for her as it exposed her to the outdoors and city while keeping her anxiety down since there were always fewer people out at night. 

At that point, the original game of tag had turned into a competition of who could find and get to the flag first. Sometimes, the flag wasn't involved and it was merely a time where both boys could run through the city all they wanted while Sensei kept an eye on them and made sure they stayed safe. And technically speaking, they did have a _few_ close calls with patrolling heroes finishing up on their route or more often than Izuku would've liked, Eraserhead starting his- the man _did_ work at night after all. Other than that, they had no issues. 

As always, they had a time limit, which normally strayed between an hour to four. This time, they had three.

“Hey, Eri?” It would be late by the time they got back, so Midoriya needed to make sure she was still fed enough.

“Yeah?”

“We’re gonna be out for a good while. Do you wanna eat now and bring something for when you get hungry again, or do you want me to bring something that you can eat later?”

“I’m good right now, so just the snacks please.”

“Alright. At any point that you get hungry, tell me and we can stop so you can eat.”

“‘Kay.”

First, Xy got to carry Eri. He was the size of a small, if not the average, horse. So the extra weight on his back wasn’t much of a problem. He wanted first dibs to carry her anyway. They agreed that once they made it far enough into the city, they would switch out since Izuku could use his quirk so he could still scale the terrain and still not have to rely on his quirk _too_ much.

So, as soon as the three were dressed appropriately for the cold weather, they began their trip. Seeing as it was long enough for leverage, Eri hung onto Z’s dark mane; the long fur would help keep her warm as well. Every so often when the feline wanted to get ahead of the other boy, he would create gates that were used as short jumps. She seemed to be enjoying it, so Izuku never commented on it. 

Because they had been doing that exercise for months now, it was safe to say they had reduced the time it took to get there to about half an hour when the first time had to have taken _at least_ an hour if not a little under. This left them plenty of time to show Eri the amazing views that someone could see if they spent time high enough on the roofs of the city. Before they switched and split up, Midoriya suggested, “Why don't we play a bit of hide’n’seek while we're here?”

The ravenette, now changed back, asked, ”Why? It’s not like we’re actually taking this as training.”

“I think it’ll be fun. Besides, it’ll get her accustomed to our nights like this.”

“Eh, why the hell not? Sure.” 

Izuku shot him a glare. ”Watch. _It._ ”

“Yeah, yeah. I know, keep it pg.”

He huffed in response as he picked up the girl, and created a harness-like contraption that would keep the girl in place if and when he needed to use both hands. The only thing to do before they went any further now was to figure out their destination.

“Okay, Eri, which way should we go?”

She pointed mid-left. _Passing by if not completely going over the Bakugo Residence. That’ll be fun._

“You’re the boss,” he joked. “See you in a bit, Z.” He finger-saluted before taking off. 

He kept at a steady sprint, occasionally checking up on Eri- If the tell-tale signs of a smile beginning weren’t any indication, then the wonder and lack of any fear made it clear she was having fun. Good. She deserves to have some fun after all she’s been through. Eventually, he was able to find a fire-escape ladder to safely get on higher grounds.

While the building they were on was definitely shorter than some in the area, it was still tall enough to see over plenty of the city. 

“Ready?” Eri nodded.

He took a few steps back from the middle before he went into a full run towards the edge, jumping off at the last minute. When he landed, he stumbled a bit to regain his balance. To his luck, it was a straight shot path through the roofs. The buildings occasionally elevated in height so it would be like an intense stairway. He would have to put more effort into his jumps with the added weight, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

He only paused for a moment each time he landed on a new roof, eventually stopping when he deemed he had gone far enough for the moment. He set his fingers in an “ok” gesture and put them up to the first knuckle between his lips before he blew. His earrings glowed white, eventually dulling out once the drawn-out whistle finished. The moment the action was done, he took off, jumping from roof to roof. 

It didn't take long for a familiar gate to stop him in his tracks. They switched out again with the feline using his gates to get to each roof while Midoriya continued jumping. 

At some point, they were forced to switch to the road as they ran through a neighborhood. One that was all too familiar with. The last time he’d even been by the Bakugo’s residence was before they moved to the mansion and instead lived in an apartment. The simple yet cozy times. He didn't spare the house a second glance as they ran by it. 

They soon moved back to the roofs with Izuku using his quirk to make trampoline-like platforms between each roof they ran on. He made platforms for every three houses they passed and would deactivate his ability from the ones they completely passed as to not overwork his quirk. They were long enough to cover the whole gap between the buildings, so for a while, they slowed down and let Eri run with them. Any time she got tired, but still wanted to continue, they would stop for a few minutes and let her get a drink of water from the pouch Izuku had.

It was a bit bulky, considering the straps went around his thigh and waist -a precautionary measure and so it would stay in place-, but it was good for holding a bottle and a snack-sized portion of food.

When she wanted to be carried again, Midoriya took over, not needing the harness this time since he could literally run over the platforms. Eri gasped and cheered in delight each time he got enough momentum and force to jump high enough and land on the next springy bridge. 

He had noticed the start of it before, but seeing her completely smile tugged at his heart and caused tears to prick at his eyes. He couldn't help but think, _I will forever protect that smile._

It took a good minute for him to get Xy’s attention, but when he did the other male was caught off guard and tripped over his own feet-er, paws. He quickly recovered, but the other two still had seen him do it. 

The rest of the night went well. They didn't have any run-ins with hero’s and Eri continued to smile. Even Sensei seemed to soften up for a second upon seeing that adorable grin. Overall, Midoriya would say it was a good day. 

On Saturday, Izuku resumed his training with All Might. 

Beforehand, he was going to stay home one more time but Z offered to babysit her since Sensei would be out doing whatever he did when he was gone. Eri was reluctant to let him leave, but with the promise he would be home in a few hours, she gave in. And sure, the ravenette could be irresponsible and downright lazy at times, but considering he was also a neat freak and a complete softie for cute things, Midoriya trusted him to take care of the girl.

Besides, if anything happened to her he would make sure the guy _never_ made the same mistake again. He was never one for using violence, but if there was one thing he got from his mom, it was her ability to put fear into men’s hearts. He’d only done it like, twice, in his lifetime, but _damn i_ f it didn't work like a charm. 

When he got back from training with Yagi-san, Eri was the first one to greet him at the door. The best thing about that day was when she had asked who the “Sunflower man in the fancy car” was. First, it was Present Mic having a banana hairdo, and now Yagi was getting roasted by this girl. Barely a week in, and Midoriya knew he would die for Eri. 

Sunday was when things got-er, _interesting_. The morning started out fine. It was Izuku’s turn to pick out an outfit for the girl after he first got himself dressed for training. They ate breakfast in peace and afterward explained to Eri that when the two boys fought, they weren't actually trying to hurt each other, it was only training. 

She was anxious throughout the beginning of their exercises nonetheless. Sensei watched her while the other two were busy, so when she got too upset, he would show her different quirks. Some were merely for show, but they worked. 

In the middle of their sparring rounds, Xy body slammed Midoriya; then the doorbell went off.

The smaller teen immediately recovered from the harsh treatment and ignored the sharp pains from it as he said, ”I’ll get it!” already sprinting out of the gym. Since they were in the gym on the second floor, he expanded a bubble around himself so he could roll down the stairs, using the railings to keep the sphere off the ground. He fell on his face after dispersing the bubble but got right back up so whoever was at the door didn't have to wait longer than needed. 

When he opened the door, the one standing there was definitely the last person he thought he’d see. Katsuki. 

_WhatTheActualFuck-_

He stepped outside, quickly shutting the door, and hoped Sensei didn't get the urge to find out who interrupted their training session. The man hated Bakugo. Why? Izuku will never know. The blond was actually the nicest person from that whole school- ya know, besides the ones that avoided him like the plague. 

Keeping his voice as low as possible without making it obvious, he exclaimed “H-hey! What are- what are you doing here?”

“The old hag fucking sent me to make sure you weren't dead or some shit.” 

It was calm compared to how he usually is around Izuku. Odd.

“W-why doesn't she just ask m-my mom? Wouldn't that have been easier?”

“Obviously not, dumbass. Seeing as auntie decided to completely fuckin up and disappear, cutting off all communication with us.”

“W-hat are you talking about?” 

He only raised his voice the slightest, like he was trying to keep his composure. “I’m talking about your mom fucking ghosting everyone. Calls automatically go to voicemail, every text is left unread, and suddenly, she stops visiting altogether. So you wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?”

She visits the Bakugo's? It’s like she decided to replace her child with another that has an equally as- if not more- dangerous quirk. Makes sense. 

_Well, he’s not the one who let his quirk get out of control because of his emotions getting the better of him and then proceed to hurt her with said quirk...even though it was an accident. But that accident was the last fucking push she needed to listen to Dad. Your fault., not his. So yeah, it should actually make perfect sense._

And he’s spacing out again. Great. 

“Sorry, I um- er, would you like to come inside. We can discuss this there.”

_What the_ **_fuck_ ** _am I doing?? He can't come into the house. Sensei and Z both_ **_hate_ ** _him( that's an understatement). Plus, how in the_ **_hell_ ** _am I supposed to explain the random child??_

_Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no._

“In opposed to standing outside where it's cold as a bitch, yeah, I would.” His tone was irritated, but there was little to no bite. Huh. Usually, he’d be yelling by now…

“Ah- you're right. Sorry.” He opened the door and led them inside. There were still no signs of the others coming to check on him, so that was a good sign. 

“Would you like some tea?”

“I don’t fucking care. Sure.”

”I'll get right on that then.” He pointed towards the room on the right of the large, singular stairwell. “In the meantime, the living room is in there if you want to make yourself comfortable.”

He only got a grunt in response. The pair of footsteps behind him continued to follow but he didn't comment on it. Nice Kacchan was like a godsend and he is _not_ screwing it up.

Midoriya kept his gaze down and away from the blond as he set up the pot and leaves, clicking on the stove once everything was ready. He kept his shoulders slightly hunched, leaning over the counter as they waited. He was startled when Katsuki broke the heavy silence. 

“So are you gonna explain to me just what the hell is up with auntie?”  
  


“I- actually don't...know.”

“Hah?? The _fuck_ you mean you don’t know??” Confusion and irritation- what a fantastic combination. 

“It means I _don't know_. Honestly, I didn’t even know she was in contact with your mom, much less the fact that she visits you guys on a normal basis.” 

“How did you _not_ know?? She’s your mom for fucks sake- I thought you _would_ know.”

The clearly rising level of irritation was starting to scare Izuku. It shouldn't. He was training to be a hero for fucks sake, but he was. If he’s scared of some childhood bully...what a hero he’ll turn out to be.

Pathetic. 

“I just don’t Katsuki,” he snapped, trying to suppress the tremors that were building up. It was like a sneeze; the more you tried to suppress it, the worse it got. 

The other looked taken aback. Of course, he’d never dared to raise his voice or get mad at Katsuki. If he did then that would anger the blond. That in itself was a bad idea. Though, he wasn't only upset at the other male, but with himself. If he can’t get his emotions in check, then it’ll be exactly like how things were before his mom left. 

He took a few deep breaths, eventually sighing before he said, “I’m sorry, but I really don't know what's up with my mom.”

“Speaking of which, is she here?”

“No.”

“Then you ask her when she is. You are her flesh and blood, so fucking ask her when she gets home and then you can text me what she fuckin said.” Bakugo’s tone changed to its default angry-yet-neutral setting. Again, weird. 

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Why the hell not? I can easily give you my damn number and it’s not that fucking hard to send a damn text.”

The pot’s whistle blew, signaling that the tea was done. Izuku got out two teacups and poured a sufficient amount in each one. He carefully handed Bakugo his cup while taking his own and heading out the kitchen to the living room. The other male seemed to wait until he replied before he said anything more. 

Instead, he gestured to the beanbags surrounding the conversation pit. Some of them had coffee tables next to them, which was very convenient. “Each of those has a built-in heater if you’re still cold and the control panel is on the left side.”

Bakugo snarked, “Fancy fucking house _and_ fancy furniture.”

“Well, it’s not like I chose to live here nor did I choose what furniture went with it.” As most things were, the heated bean bags were like a silent apology for basically taking the light of his life away when he was only- what, seven?

“I was joking ya damn nerd, so calm the fuck down.”

_Look who’s talking. Fucking Pomeranian looking ass bitch. Wait- no. That's the unreleased anger and fear talking._

_I really need to stop picking up on Z’s and Katsuki’s profanity habits. What would mom think, another excuse for why she doesn't want to be around me? Sounds accurate…_

  
  


“But, er- That's not what I meant, earlier.”

“Then tell me what you did mean.”

“Why do you care so much anyway?”

The anger from before was coming back. “Okay _smartass_. If you’re not gonna tell me about that shit, then what the fuck happened to your face.”

“Again, why do you care? You never did before.”

“You know what, fucking fine. Whatever. I don’t fucking wanna know. You probably ran into some shit like the klutz you are.”

_Deep breaths. Stay calm._

Midoriya set his half-finished cup down and shot up from his seat. “I-i’ll be right back. If you need me, my door is in the third hall to the right, last room down.”

“Tch. Just fucking go.”

_If he’s going to be staying for a while, I need to calm myself down and let Sensei know training is on pause for today. If I have any luck, he’ll go to the office while Z watches over Eri._

* * *

  
  


The blond scrolled through and refreshed his news feed for what had to of been the tenth fucking time since that damn nerd retreated to god knows where. Katsuki wasn't blind- he saw how the nerd’s hands shook whenever he was making the fucking tea.

_If he wanted me out, he should’ve fucking said so._

He groaned as he threw his back in frustration, and marched out of the living room in search of the shorter male. He followed the directions from earlier, soon finding the right hall. In the midst of his anger and conflict, he failed to correctly observe his surroundings. This resulted in his own misfortune as he was tripped by something not in his peripheral vision. 

Bakugo grumbled and cursed as he sat up to see what the cause was. 

[Of all the people to find me, it had to be Katsuki.]

“The hell?”

A rabbit. The nerd got a fucking rabbit. Well, it _does_ suit him. 

Katsuki grabbed and set the rodent in his lap with slow and careful movements. The damn thing was green. Animals with quirks weren't unheard of, but it was still weird. 

[What if he realizes it is me? Then I’d be completely _fucked_. Ahhhhhh-] It’s feet thumped against his leg at an almost rhythmic pace. Bakugo loosened his hold on it, opting for gently running his hand in its silky fur. The thumping eventually slowed to a complete stop around the same time the blond realized how damn relaxing that shit was. No wonder Deku got the fucking thing.

“You’re okay little buddy. It’s not like I’m gonna fuckin hurt you or some shit.” This was new.

Izuku looked up, watching as he paused, and after a moment his expression changed. “Can’t exactly say the same for the shitty nerd...it’s too late for it anyway.” 

[What?]

Another pause and then a dry chuckle. “I really fucked up, didn't I? Any chance of fixing shit was blown out the fucking window the moment I told Deku to kill himself. I mean, who would fucking forgive someone for saying something as _fucked up_ as that?”

Strokes through soft fur stopped as he held the bunny closer to his chest and his voice ever so slowly became more cracked. ”It's n-ot like I-i can just walk up to him and- and say, ’oh yeah, I got anger management and therapy for the last six fucking months so everything’s co-ol now’. N-no, I fucked up and there's no taking all that shit back”

[So that’s why he’s been generally nicer? But wait- he really does regret what he said? I mean, honestly, he would be the easiest person to forgive out of anyone from that hellhole of a school…]

He wasn’t done. 

“What am I even do-ing? I was supposed to fucking apologize to him, not- not upset him and give him more reasons to hate me.”

[Wha- Katsuki. I could never hate you. Sure, you were kind of ass to me these past few years but so was everyone else; and they were _worse_ about it. Besides, you mellowed out a lot before I started homeschool.]

He sniffed. “Alright bud, I’ve overstayed my visit, so I think I’m gonna head out. Take care of the nerd alright?” He set the rabbit down, getting up and soberly walking back from where he had come. 

* * *

Bakugo’s words stuck and repeated like a mantra in his head for the remainder of the day. Even as he played a game of _Heroes_ with Eri- oddly enough, Xy was overly-enthusiastic to assist in the game by posing as the “Hero’s(Eri) steed”. Midoriya wasn’t dumb, he knew the prick only wanted brownie points so he could be the favorite. 

Anyway, they were fortunate enough to not have any more surprises or interruptions in their normal schedules for the next week and the ones following it. Though, the closer the date got, the more anxious Izuku became. What if he didn’t pass? What if he did get in, but it was like Aldera? What if Eri got hurt while he was gone? There were so many what if’s that could happen. Too many. 

Just like before, he could do nothing but prepare and hope for the best. 

[Discord Server](https://discord.gg/G8YNy8KdzS)


	10. Entrance Exam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this is only the beginning. (:

The inky darkness gently washed over him as he found himself back in the abyss. His single-piece attire returned as well as the soft viridescent glow emitting from his body. The peaceful silence and emptiness made him feel at ease– satisfied, even. The only thing missing was the rabbit. He was sure it would show up soon enough so he wasn't too worried about it, but the thought of quiet company sounded nice. Until then, he'd keep himself busy with walking along the wall.

He hummed the tune the bunny had played before as he glided his hand on the solid surface. The lyrics were a distant memory, but it was a nice song nonetheless. There was a certain nostalgia to it that kept his interest piqued. 

As he predicted, later on into his stroll through the never-ending abyss, the luminescent rabbit hopped along its path to Izuku. 

“Back again, little guy?”

He got no response. Of course, it was a rabbit. Rabbits don't talk. The inclination of its head let him know it heard and was acknowledging him. Before he could speak again, it shifted to a silhouette of light that gradually enlarged. Though, instead of its original shape, the silhouette was one of a person. 

The light dimmed as he came face to face with himself, but as a hologram. It was a bit obvious seeing as the guy was in the middle of being semi-translucent and completely translucent- like one of his bubbles or shields. Its expression being blank and emotionless. Literally. It wasn't stoic or calm, but completely devoid of any emotion. It was kind of weird to see his own face like that. It was like looking at a complex mirror- it was his reflection, but slightly different. 

_ Huh. _

“Hello?”

H̶̛̖͓̦̽̇̂͢e̷̛̞̜̲̱̿͑̓̂͜l̶̢͖̗̲̫҇̈͆̐l̵͎̜̲͖̘͑̏̕͢o̸͉̜͉̓̍̒͆̕͜

“Who are you?”

_ He seems harmless enough. I mean, he is technically me...I think. _

I̷̧͕͎͆̒̀͝ à̶̖̬̙̥̈́̔͂̂͜͝m҈̥̜̘̾͑̓̀͑͢͠ y̷̯̗̅̆̕͜o̴̡̜҇͒̊̈́̇ͅṳ̷̞͉̞̬͋̂͜͞.̵̨̲̱̎͒̾̄͡

_ So I was right. Cool beans.  _

Voices echoed from afar. A child’s voice. It was familiar, but he couldn't figure out how. 

C̵̡̬̦҇̋̐o҉̢̮͆̀̕m̴̨̟̓̕e҉͖͔̖̋͋͜͝.̵̢͖̘̒̋̉͡

“Where are we going?”

Y҈̝̌̇͢͠o̴̢̞̖̱͂͐͝u҉͎̤̇͢͝ s҉̗͌͜͡h̸̡̞͓͌́̕a̸̟̔͢͝ļ̷҇͊l҉̢҇̐̿ s̶͖̎̒̊͜͝e̵͕̅̄͜͝e҈̞̽͜͠

“Okay…?”

His hologram copy led him away from the safety of the wall and into the openness. He didn't feel like he was endangered in any way, so he supposed he could trust- well, himself. 

The voice got louder and another joined in as they neared. The second one belonged to a man while the other could've only belonged to a young boy. Coming into view, Izuku realized it was him. Well, _ another _ him. But this one was when he was a kid; only eight years old. It was around the same time his mom left.

**“Mister? Hello? Can you hear me?”**

**The stranger coughed, spraying blood on the tattered suit he wore. The only part of his face that was saved from the pouring blood of the wounds above were his mouth and chin. Even then that part didn't get off completely scott cd free. The crimson liquid waterfalled past his lips.**

**“What...** **_cough..._ ** **is a mere child doing in a...** **_cough_ ** **...place like this?”**

“ **You’re hurt, mister! My quirk isn't very strong right now, but I can help heal you if you want. Though, everything is at home so you’re gonna have to hold a bit longer, sir.”**

**The sightless man seemed to contemplate his options before he sighed. It wasn't like he had very many. At least, that's what Izuku first thought. It turned out later on that his colleagues would’ve retrieved him, but they wouldn't have been able to heal him as fast or much with their limited options. Though, he barely looked even slightest bit concerned about the growing loss of fluids from his body.**

**“** **_Cough_ ** **...Do what you will, child.”**

**“Okay!” the boy half-heartedly cheered as he went to work putting the stranger in a bubble that would keep him safe until they got to his home, which was still very far. He’d have to run the rest of the way if he wanted to ensure that the man didn't get the chance of meeting death.**

Y̶o̶u҉ r̵a҈n҉ i̷n҉t҉o̷ t̵h̷a҈t҉ p̷a҉r҈t҉i̷c̴u̴l̵a̴r̴ g҈r̵o̶u҉p̷ a̶g҉a̷i̷n̴ a̶n҉d҈ p̸a̴i̴d҈ t̶h̶e̸ p̶r̵i̸c̵e̴ f҉o҈r̶ i̴t̷.̸ E̷v̴e̴n̴ t̸h̵e҉n̴,҈ w̵h̷e̴n̶ y̵o̴u̸ w̴e̴r҈e̵ i҉n҈j̴u̶r҉e̵d̸ a҉n҉d҈ e̸x̴h̵a҈u҉s̶t̵e̷d҈ f̸r̶o̸m̷ w҉a҈l̸k̷i̵n̴g̸ f̷o̴r̵ s̴o҉ l̸o҉n҉g҈,̴ y̶o҈u̸ d̸e̷c̴i҈d̵e̸d҈ t̶o̶ h̴e̸l̴p҈ a̵ c̸o̶m̴p̴l҈e̵t̴e҈ s̵t̵r̴a̵n҉g҉e̷r̵.҈ Y̵o҉u̵ w̴e̷r҉e҉n҉'̴t̵ s̴u̷r̴e̴ i̴f̴ y҈o҈u̷r̷ q̷u̴i̸r̸k҉ a҈t̷ t̴h҈e̴ t̴i̴m҈e̵ w҉a̴s҉ s̵t҉r҈o҈n҉g̵ e̸n̴o̸u̶g̵h̴ t҉o̵ h̷e̵l҈p҈ h̶i̴m҈,̶ y̴e̵t҈ y̸o̷u̵ s̴t҈i̴l̸l̶ t̷r̷i̸e̶d҉.̵

“I don't understand. I already know this, so why are you showing me?”

W̵̡̖͚̘͓͇̜͇̥͕̜͙̲͖̞̟e҉̖̖̱̰͇͇͉̭͎̩͜ b̵͉̩̪̩͎̘̬̜͔̗͜o̸̡͔͔̲̘͖͚͔̤̦̰͓t̴̢̥͙̥̰͚̯̪̗̩̦̤̦̠̬h̸̰̝̮͈͔̳͓̱͢ s̷̨̱͈̫̬̮̭͍̳̘͙͙̙̰͎̩ͅḩ̵̰̠͚͚̥̤̰͈̰̫̰͎̳̰͇a̴̢̩͖͈̪̱̱̝̝̯l҈̡̮̞̤̝̬̦͖̤͇̗͕͇̤͖̩l҈̧̞̮̠͉̘̱̜̱̙̦͍͓̞̣ u҈̧͖̩͇̮͇͇̗̥̦͓ͅn̸̢͍̬̮̱̮͕̗̱̰̦ͅḑ̶̣͙̳̥̯̤̙͕̖͉̪̫ͅe̸̙͚͈̘̭͉̫̖͇̳͔̰̥͕̝͈͢ŗ̵̩̠̬̝̗̯͖͓̱͓̞̜s҉̢͎̘͓̖̮̣̥̲t̶̨̫̘̰͈̳̳̙͚̪̭ͅa҈̨̣̲͈͖̜͈̗̟̮n҈̧̙͍̙̦̞̰̥̱̜̥ͅd̷̡͈͍̭͈̗̰͓̬̗̝͎̳͖̪̘ͅ i̵̡͚̜̬̝̗͖̦̞͓̙̙̱͎̦̗̪n̸̢̮̩̰̟͉̗̜͍͓͇̘̤̱ d̸̨̲͙̗̘̝̟̯̝̳̯̣͇͕͎͚̦u̷̡̥̜̥̠̤̳͓͙̦̭̖̙̟̜̤͎e̸̱̟̳̤̩̬͎̫͚͚̳͕̣̝̘͜ t҈̡͙̦͈̤̙͇̘̙̜͓̙̳i̸̢͍͈͈̰͔̤͚̝͉̲͚̠̟̣͕m̵̡̖̜̲̯̭̗̣̤̞͖̯̟͉̤̪̫e̴͖͈̣͕̗͈͙͙̤̣͈̳͜ͅ.̵̨̗͈̫̬̩̪͈͈̰̠

  
  
  
  
  


“Chiyo-san!”

“Good morning Izuku. Did you bring the girl?”

He nodded, gently nudging Eri from her spot behind his leg. She briefly waved, but kept her grip on his shirt. 

Recovery Girl led them to the viewing room as Midoriya asked, “So why did you need us here so early? It’s only eight and the exam doesn’t start until nine-thirty.”

“We figured she meets her next choice of a guardian to make sure she’ll be okay when moving to a new place.”   
  


“Wha-who?”

“Eraserhead. He’s the most compatible candidate to take care of her, even if his schedule might be a bit tricky to work around.”

He was upset by the news, but it wasn't like he could protest. She was right. Eraserhead-  _ and _ Present Mic- were the perfect people for her to stay with. (He saw the necklace around Eraser’s neck one time during their runs, and it’s been known Mic is a married man after one caller asked if he was single during his talk-show. All that had been left to do was put two-and-two together.) They were responsible adults with jobs that left at least one at home while the other was working- besides teaching, obviously. 

“Though, that’s not the only reason I'm afraid. You won’t be taking the exam.”

Before he could ask what she meant, a new voice joined in the conversation. Nezu.

“That’s right! Because we’ve had more complicated and dangerous quirks each generation, casualties from those can only follow suit. So, you, my dear, will be our miracle worker throughout the exams, erasing those casualties in a way.”

“With all due respect sir, I thought I would have been able to take the exam. That’s the whole reason why I’ve been training so hard these past ten months. Besides, last year I waited until each of the exams ended to make my rounds.”

“Changing times calls for changing ways.” Eri walked beside Nezu as he continued. ”Now, let us make haste. You need to get ready and in costume while little Eri meets Aizawa.”

“Costume?” 

As a first and second year, he wore a simple mask and sweatshirt to hide himself. So a costume was a change of pace. 

“Of course! A few weeks ago, I had sent you that letter requesting your hero and nurse costume. It was actually complete before today, but I simply couldn't spoil the surprise.”

”But I never got-” __

_ That sneaky prick. He got a hold of the letter, so there's no telling what shit he sent in.  _

“Nevermind…” 

“You’ll have to retrieve your first costume from Maijima’s office since it's been put there for safekeeping. When you're done, head to the observation room so you can meet the rest of the staff.”

“Maijima? You mean Power Loader?”   
  


“Yep!”

“‘Kay.”

Turns out Xy didn’t do something stupid, but he could’ve at least _ told _ Midoriya that he had already sent in costume designs. 

Overall, it was a good fit- comfy too. The pink, hooded long-sleeve completely covered his hair while the sleeves were loose and draped at the ends. The only downside was that it was cropped and the ends were in a bunny-ear knot. Funny. Under it went a black, turtleneck-like spandex top that was also cropped. Luckily, both tops hugged around his torso instead of being loose, so he still had  _ some _ decency. The spandex pieces that went with it were fingerless gloves. Along with that, he got a pair of shorts that were equally plain black. 

His shoes of “choice” were basically pink, knee-high trojan sandals. 

A yellow utility belt that he secured around his waist had small pouches, pockets, and straps where he could put vials and tubes. Then, there was a yellow messenger bag, which turned out to already have the other medical supplies -knife included- for him to use if he couldn’t treat a patient at the moment or if the injury was minor enough.

The last piece to his costume was a mask. A rabbit mask. 

_ Funny. _

The front was designed with pink circles on the side of the cheeks of it and pink at the end of the ears, while a yellow health-cross sat in the middle of the whole thing. Between the ears was just enough space for the middle part of the hood to hang in between them since it was designed to cover his whole face, which was kind of the point, as he needed to keep his identity a secret from the other students. 

When he put it on, the mask itself automatically powered up. In the mirror, he could see the “eyes”. They reacted to his own facial movements, blinking when he did and managing to show whatever expression he had. When he spoke, the built in voice-changer adjusted his voice to sound like what it would if he was a girl. That’s how it sounded anyway. 

The most useful aspect about the mask were the sensors. They scanned the surrounding area, giving him current medical information for any individuals up to a two mile radius (most likely the reason why the ears of the mask were longer than he would have expected). It was mostly the basic information that he would need specifically like allergies, heart-rate, body temperature, name, age, height, weight, if there was any internal bleeding or trauma, and hydration levels...etc. The note that went with it gave him the commands to turn the sensors on and off, which was pretty helpful. 

He took the mask back off, opting for carrying it in his hand as he made his way to the observation room after he thanked Power Loader for the costume and support items. Maijima was actually heading to the same place as he was so Izuku got to ask him a few questions on his quirk. He was sure to stash that information for later when he had his notebooks. 

Z was the first person he saw upon entering the room. “ _ You _ ,” he said as he pointed an accusing finger at the ravenette.

“ _ Me.” _ He had the nerve to look _ proud. _

“You didn't think to at the very least  _ warn _ me that-”

A gruff voice cut in. ”Hold on, I remember you.” Eraserhead.

“So you’ve met Aizawa already! That’s fantastic,” Nezu chirped.

”More like he crashed onto my balcony and caused a bunch of racket in the middle of the night.”   
  


In the background, Recovery Girl exclaimed, ”You  _ what!?” _

“ _ Dude _ , you never told me about that.” Z. That smug asshole.

“Ah, right. I-i tried to make sure I paid back for everything that was broken or- or damaged, and I _ swear _ it was an accident. Please don't be mad.”

“I'm not mad. It would be illogical to hold a grudge for something you  _ did  _ pay the damages for; especially after so long.”   
  


_ Oh, thank God. _

“No, I was just a bit irritated that I had gotten woken up in the middle of the night on my only day off that week.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, problem child.”

_ Problem child? _

A loud gasp startled him out of his thoughts. Eraserhead was shoved aside as Midnight barreled over to Izuku. “Chiyo, You never said your lil apprentice was _ adorable _ \- shame on you!” She cooed and awed as she squished his face. 

“Er, Thank you?”

“I never even informed the rest of the staff of his existence until today anyway. If I did, I knew there would be distractions when he needed to work. It’s precisely why I had him come on Fridays and after most of you had cleared out.”

Midnight gasped, “offended” by Recovery Girl’s words. “I would  _ never  _ distract such a precious little thing,” she said as she continued to coddle the boy. She had him in a tight hold, squeezing him to her chest until he started to struggle. 

“Now, now, Ms. Kayama. Chiyo’s right. In order for Izuku to be able to bring out his full potential, he couldn’t have had such distractions during his sessions with her.”

“Bummer,” she huffed.

“Well, would you look at the time. I’m sure Yamada ought to be finishing up with his speech, don't you agree, Izuku?”

“Oh- um, yes sir. The examinees would be getting ready for their exams and heading to the buses afterward.”

“Precisely! Ms. Chiyo here will be guiding you through and letting you know if and where an examinee is if you didn't already pick it up with your mask’s sensors.”

He nodded, then asked, “I can only guess Z is here so I can get from place-to-place efficiently?”

“On point yet again, my dear.” Aizawa rolled his eyes, deciding to make himself comfortable in his seat rather than listen to the rest of the conversation.

“Deku!” Eri ran to Midoriya, wrapping him in a hug before she looked at him with the cutest face he’s ever seen. ”Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back, I promise, but I have to go for a bit. You see those screens over there?” He said this as he jabbed his thumb towards the front of the room. 

“Yeah?”

“You’ll be able to see me as I work and once I’m done, I’ll come right back”

Nezu patted her head, which she didn't seem to mind too much. ”In the meantime, why don't you go keep Mr. Aizawa company?”

She paused before reluctantly replying. “M’kay.”

Izuku went to Recovery Girl. “So, which group do you think would be best to start in?”

“Well there's exam sites A through G to choose from.” She pulled out a tablet and gave it to him. ”Each one is completely randomized when we pick who goes in which one, so it's really your choice where you think you should start. The lists should help; be quick though, you only have a few minutes until Hizashi calls for it to begin.”

He skimmed through each one, mainly looking at each quirk and when he was done, he noted that Katsuki was put in Battle Center A.

In the end, he went with Battle Center B. 

On the list, one kid had engines in his legs. Tenya Iida. He was likely the younger brother of Ingenium. There was a girl with a gravity quirk, one kid with multiple limbs, and a blond with a naval laser. Those were only the first few on the list.

“Aight Bunny boy, where ‘you headed first?”   
  


“Battle Center B, and I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“But it’s true,” he said, opening up the first gate.

_ Prick.  _

Before Midoriya stepped through, he put the small communication device -that Nezu had given him earlier- in his ear, secured the mask to his face and made sure to turn both the voice changer and sensors on. 

He ended up in an alley; and honestly, if he didn't have as much context as he did, the choice of location would've been sketchy as  _ fuck _ . The street ahead and behind him were completely deserted. Though, it only took a moment for him to begin to hear a crowd of voices and the sound of metal.

The communicator in his ear beeped. ” _ Oh, and Izuku, don’t worry about the robots seeing you. They’ve been programmed to ignore you if you do happen to come across one. _ ”

“Thanks for the heads up, Chiyo-san.” It was weird to hear a feminine voice as he spoke, but he’d get used to it eventually.

_ “Mhm. _ ”

It beeped again, signaling she had temporarily disconnected.

He started his rounds by heading towards the area with the most noise. Based on the sensors and the noise, everyone was doing fine for the moment, so Izuku wasn't in much of a rush. Over some of the shorter buildings, he could actually see the smoke from the robots. Some of the voices were drawing closer while others faded out, but it didn't take much to understand what they were yelling out; points. Barely a few minutes in and there were clear announcements of totals like 14, 32, 27, 19, 22, and 11. 

He was so caught up in his leisure jog that he almost missed a stray robot that just about ran him over if it wasn't for a very shiny beam of light decapitating it. It was that boy with the naval laser. 

“Nice shot, young Aoyama!”

The start of a stomach ache was soon to make itself present, which was probably from his quirk, but as long as he didn’t overdo it he should be fine. 

“Make sure you don't overwork your quirk, hon; but good luck with the rest of your exam.”

“Merci, mademoiselle Nurse Bit! Au revoir~”

The kid was gone just as soon as he arrived. Oh well, he still has a job to do. 

When he caught up with a group of examinees, all the robots were down. None were hurt so he moved on. 

**_Beep._** ” _Southwest in Center D, dearie.”_

“You got it!”

The gateway was in yet another alleyway, away from anyone else's view. He was quick to go through and find the injured kid. He was on the other side of the building. As he dashed to the examinee, he read over the medical report. A few cuts and scrapes were present on him, but the main things that needed to be taken care of were a deep gash that went from shoulder and stopped in the middle of his chest, as well as pieces of shrapnel still stuck in his arms and torso. Fortunately they aren't deep enough to be life threatening but it was still a more urgent matter. 

Midoriya stood in front of the boy, stopping him from trying to continue. He immediately set to work as he took out a soft cloth from his bag and a small tube from his belt. He popped the cork off and set the thin but sturdy material in the tube before putting the cork back on and set it back in his belt for the time being. 

“Hello, young Kirishima,” he greeted, trying to find the piece of metal that would be the most difficult to get out, “I’m Nurse Bit and I’ll be taking care of those nasty wounds before I can allow you to continue with the exam. Alright?”

“That’s fair,” he said, seeming embarrassed. Which is understandable. According to Recovery Girl, there's at least one student with some sort of defensive quirk that ends up getting hurt similar to this. It’s a weird kind of irony. 

”This’ll hurt for only a second.” Izuku pulled it as quickly as he could while still being careful. A sharp hiss from the boy followed. ”How are you doing today?” Might as well make small talk while taking out the rest of the metal.

“I think I’m doing pretty good. Well, I  _ was _ . I got too reckless, and, so...yeah.” 

He finally pulled out the last piece as he replied, ”That's perfectly okay. While yes, you need to learn to be more careful next time, mistakes happen. All you can do is grow from them.” He took the cloth from the tube and gently wiped over each gash.

“Good as new.” Midoriya gave a thumbs up then went on to start a new round around the city. “Well, good luck with the rest of your exam!”

The next few minutes he hopped from city to city. Six more examinees were injured badly. The rest were fine enough to finish the exam and then have Recovery Girl fix them up afterward. Only a few minutes remained.

**_Beep_ ** **.** _"_ _ Center B, Mid-East.” _

A mild concussion  _ and  _ a broken ankle. The poor kid was slumped against debris and his face contorted in pain. 

“Hitoshi Shinso, can you hear me, hon?” Izuku got a nod, but it was cut short as Shinso winced and held his head in pain. He’ll have to be quick so the lavender haired boy doesn't have to suffer longer than he has to. “You can call me Nurse Bit. I’ll be taking care of your concussion and ankle real quick.”

He didn't wait for a response to get out one of the medium bottles and uncork it. “I'm gonna need you to drink this, okay, hon?” He tilted the bottle up, bringing it to the boy’s mouth. He did as told without any complaint, much less reply. The familiar exhale of content that followed let him know the substance did its job. Midoriya pulled him back up on his feet.

It was quiet, but Izuku heard him as he said, “Thanks, I guess.”

“It was no problem sweetie. Besides, it’s my job to ensure the good health of any patient in need. Just try not to get hurt like that anymore.”

“No promises, lady.”

_ It’s gonna take a while for me to get used to being referred to as a girl.  _

A sudden rumble shook the ground as screams from the examinees down the street grew. The frantic crowd ran towards their direction, trying to escape the source of the tremors. A zero-pointer made its way into view, crumbling the roofs of the buildings it passed with it’s hulking form. The same time his sensors picked up on an injured body, a cry of help rang in the air. There was a girl trapped under a piece of debris. The metal giant was quickly approaching the girl. 

  
  


Before Izuku could say anything, the lavender boy had already taken off in her direction. He ran after Shinso, panic in his voice as he asked, ”What are you doing??”

He replied without hesitation. “I’m getting her out of there. No one else will, so _ someone _ has to do it.” 

They dashed over to her, avoiding the falling masses as the zero-pointer continued forward and showed no signs of stopping or slowing down. When they got close enough, she cried, ”My leg, it's stuck!”

“You’re going to be just fine Miss Uraraka. We’re going to get you out of here, but I need you to try and stay calm.” 

Shinso grabbed a pipe from nearby and jammed it under the rubble, right beside the brunette. While he pulled down on the pipe, Izuku used one arm to directly push the concrete up and the other to try to pull her out. Wait a minute! Her quirk. 

“Miss Uraraka, I need one more thing from you alright? Can you use your quirk on the main piece that's on you?” She already was suffering from overuse of her quirk, but he needed it to be done. ”I know you’re exhausted but I need you to use your quirk just one more time.” 

She looked reluctant to do it, but did as asked. Midoriya went to shove the debris out the way, but before he could the girl released her quirk too soon, dropping back onto herself. She wretched out what was likely her breakfast before passing out.

  
  


“ _ Shit.” _

The zero-pointer was now only a few feet from where they were. Its bulky arms crashed into two structures next to it, causing the bases of the buildings to crumble into themselves. It  _ was _ a mock-city after all, so part of the support holding it up was glass and cheap metal. The creaks and groans from the structures were more alarming by the millisecond as it became clear that both were due to come down in mere moments. They both had to have been at a minimum of ten stories, which would mean they were big enough to completely cover the road once they collapsed. 

But the worst thing, was the positions of the structures. The first one was right next to them, and the next one was on the other side of the street- it was set just right so they would have to run the distance between the start of the first one and the far side of the other. No space between the two would exist once toppled over. 

So, getting caught up in the crash would be inevitable if they didn’t get out of the way then and there. 

_ Damnit Nezu! I need a heartbeat to fix shit, not a corpse or corpses! _

“Shinso, run.”

“Wha-”

“I said run!” Midoriya pushed himself harder to lift the damn thing up, but it wasn’t budging. “Those things are coming down fast and they’re coming down  _ now _ ! I’ll handle the girl, but your safety is just as important right now so just do as I say, damnit!” With one last look of hesitation, Shinso listened, running to safety as fast as his legs could take him. He turned the rest of his attention back onto the girl, using every ounce of strength to get the debris. And finally, with a desperate shove, it flew off. 

Izuku huffed in short lived victory before he hurriedly picked the girl up and took off. 

Their escape didn't last long.

Time seemed to slow down in that moment as reality sunk in. They wouldn't make it out of the way in time. Those things were coming down too fast and they were too far away from the open sky for it to be a possibility anymore. And though the looming shadows became darker overhead and despair grew, he still ran. There was no use in stopping anyway. Even as the sounds of glass shattering and the impact of stone on stone, he didn't stop. 

Before he ceased to see the light of day, he prayed for the best and activated his quirk in one last attempt of hope. 

  
  
  


A heavy blanket of silence washed over the observation room.

All Might couldn't believe what he just saw. 

If someone ever walked up to him at any point in time before then, and said  _ that _ would happen, he would've called them a liar. 

The morning started off well. It really did. He woke up feeling good about the day, as he did every day ever since Izuku Midoriya, an absolute miracle, came into his life. He had been on his way to UA until he ran into a group of villains. They were dealt with, no sweat. He got caught up in a few more fights but nothing could ruin his day as he was soon going to see the doe-eyed angel that he simply  _ adored _ so much. And sure, he already got to see the boy for half the amount of days since that first month, but every one of those days brought him pure joy. 

“Where’s young Midoriya?” he had asked after noticing the boy was missing from the room. 

“You just missed him, Toshinori. No matter, you shall get your chance to talk to him once the exams finish.”

He wouldn't be able to see Izuku at the moment, so what? It meant that he could instead surprise the kit after the exam. Until then, he settled for admiring from a distance as he watched the boy run from city to city, helping each examinee that needed the medical attention. He was doing so well too! 

The only problem being the kit’s costume. It was quite- er,  _ revealing _ . It wasn't bad exactly, just very...distracting. The shorts certainly did not leave much to the imagination. Especially the way they hugged that perfect little ass-

_ Point is _ , he had the urge to shield his innocent bunny from any prying eyes. There was  _ no way _ Midoriya designed that. The only person who he could think of that would've done it, was that ravenette. He’s never been too sure what the kid’s deal was or what his intentions are, and he still doesn't. When he looked over to said kid, the ravenette looked at him with a blank stare before giving a thumbs up. Huh. 

Enough of that though, his attention should be on young Midoriya. 

It wasn't long before Nezu pressed the giant red button in the middle of the control panel, sending out the zero-pointers- his actions maybe a little  _ too _ eager. The next thing he knew, one of the examinees in Battle Center B were running _ towards _ the robot. No one but Nezu could hear what he said as the kid spoke to Izuku for a short second before both males were trying to pry a girl from under a pile of rubble. So  _ that _ was why they ran towards it. 

Everyone waited in bated breaths as the zero-pointer’s arms collided with two buildings, then they watched as those structures began to crumble. The examinee that initially ran to the trapped girl’s aid -who honestly looked like Eraserhead’s biological kid- had seemingly been ordered to leave as he had hesitancy in his actions before he made an escape. 

The kit remained, finally getting the unconscious girl from the debris before he attempted to leave as well. However, unlike the first kid, he nor the girl made it. They were barely past the first stretch before everything was completely brought down. All Might was frozen as the last he saw of the boy was the amount of absolute desperation to escape as he bolted. The camera’s angled at the scene were blocked out from the aftermath of dust and debris.

It was a good thing Eri was asleep- better her not see that as she had passed out, bundled in Eraserhead’s sleeping bag not long after Midoriya had left. 

Nezu simply kept smiling- from the moment both structures started to crumble and after the dust cleared, leaving a devastating view in its wake. 

All Might’s body finally unfroze, it running on autopilot as he shot up from his seat and was about to dash out the room until the principal spoke up.

“Sit back down All Might.”

“But-”

“Sit down, and  _ watch _ .” It wasn't a request, but an order. 

It was Eraserhead that argued next. He was one of the ones who had also gotten ready to run to the kid’s rescue. ”Are you fucking  _ insane _ ?! Those are _ children _ and you toppled two goddamn buildings on them! If they’re not dead already, they’ll sure as hell need medical attention  _ now _ . So tell me, why should we just watch?!”

All Might agreed wholeheartedly with the underground hero- he had a point. 

The principle didn't look fazed by his outburst in the slightest. “Come on now Aizawa, do you really think I’d go as far as kill children? Rest assured, they're fine.”

However, Nezu also had a point- he would never take his hate for man out on innocent children, even if he  _ did _ have some sadistic tendencies. Aizawa only huffed and glared in response

Chiyo sent her own glare to the sadistic chimera. “You better know what you’re doing.”

“Don't you worry, I know  _ perfectly _ well what I'm doing.” 

  
  


Everything was pitch black and too quiet.

Midoriya could hear the steady breathing pattern of the brunette still cradled in his arms.

They needed to get out. Wherever they were at the moment was nothing but a way to meet death firsthand. Their air supply was going to run out and depending on how much is on top of his bubble, it’ll be impossible to get out. He had to think smart, but think fast. 

Kami, it was a good thing that the brunette was still passed out. She wouldn't remember this part of the exam and he won't have to explain why he “has the same quirk as Nurse Bit”. 

_ Wait a damn minute- Z, you genius bastard!  _

He may not be able to call the ravenette since they’re literally trapped under what could be literal  _ tons _ of concrete, but he  _ does _ have the flashlight and glow sticks in the bag. It was weird at the time when he had first found the items in the bag, but  _ god damn _ are they convienent as  _ fuck _ right now!

He was quick to take out the flashlight and click it on. Around them were mostly pipes and any material they used for the flooring & roofing. Between the small cracks were hundreds of tiny shards of glass. So deactivating his bubble was not an option. Could he try expanding the bubble? Would that allow them some freedom and into a bigger pocket to get out of, or would it make things worse and cause more rubble to fall and trap them in?

It was worth a shot.

He started out slow, watching as the debris was moved along with it. It took some effort with all the weight, but it wasn't as bad as he first thought. As the slightest hints of light began to shine through the growing cracks, he upped the pace of the expansion. However, Midoriya was eventually forced to stop as the bubble met the limits of the open space. It looked safe enough to let it down, so he carefully deactivated the protection around them. He carried the girl in a bridal style again, wandering around the pocket and noting his surroundings. 

He could barely tell what kind of building it was originally. Everything was so damaged or in pieces. Most of the floor was practically covered in broken glass. Any time Izuku heard the familiar sound of glass crunching under his foot, he cringed; though, he was thankful for the fact that steel plates were put in the soles. It was something Power Loader told him in advance when they were walking to the observation room..

It seemed like he would have to make an escape for himself, seeing as there were no crevices big enough for someone to fit through, much less loose debris that looked safe enough to move. One way to get out would be if he _ made _ one. It was definitely a flawed idea, but it was the first one that he could think of off the top of his head and they were on a time-crunch. 

If he was going to make a way out, how could he do it without disturbing any unstable parts of the foundation? He could punch a hole through the wall, but that was still on the risky side. Besides, he doesn't have super-strength like All Might. Hell, he isn't even very built. Which is odd, considering he practically worked his ass off for ten months out of the twelve. Z and Yagi-san both pointed it out at some point, so he wasn’t the only one who noticed. 

But that’s beside the point. Basically, he’s not strong enough to punch his way out if he tried. Another option would be calling for help, but he doesn't know where they are nor if anyone’s close enough to hear if they  _ were  _ somehow near the outer walls So that’s another idea out the window. 

Nezu has  _ got  _ to cut him some slack. 

Cut.

“ _ Oh _ .”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

  
  


Ever since both structures crumbled and two individuals never made it through, no one moved. The whole crowd could only stand in silence after they watched the pair disappear in the wreckage and never come out. The one’s not frozen on the spot were either shaking from the terror, or were not mentally present. 

Even the zero-pointer that caused the whole thing was still, unmoving.

Shinso himself was still trying to comprehend what happened only a few mere seconds ago. Nurse Bit- what she had called herself when she had first come to his aid- told him to leave. So, why does he feel so guilty? In reality, there was nothing he could have done. If he had stayed any longer, he would've been caught in the wreckage himself, and his quirk would have been useless. 

The question is, did they somehow manage to survive, but are now trapped, or did everyone just witness the death of two people? Not to mention this was an  _ exam _ . It wasn’t actually supposed to hurt someone to that extent. It was only supposed to be a test to determine if you were worthy enough to make it to the hero course. 

Though the exam was over -it had been for a while now-, no one moved to leave. The mutual dread still hadn’t let up. 

However, one kid had stepped up, moving to the part of the crowd that was nearest to the aftermath. He had several ears produced from his six arms. He created a mouth on one of his extra appendages to comment, “Hey, there’s something moving in the front building, located in the back.”

Could it be them? Had both girls actually survived that shit-show??

“Only one pair of footsteps though.”

That’s right. The brunette had passed out after emptying the contents of her stomach before they could get her free.

“The examinee Nurse Bit was carrying had been unconscious before...yaknow...so she likely hasn’t woken up yet.” At least, that’s the best case scenario. _ Yet _ . That word left hope. 

  
  


Another kid spoke up, not by much, but it was loud enough where Shinso heard him. “Why would she be unconscious in the first place?”

Shinso replied, “She looked pretty tired when I had seen her, so it was probably due to overworking her quirk.” 

“That would be correct, dearie.” The voice came from behind Shinso, so close too, so it was only natural he got startled. 

It was Recovery Girl- she’s shorter than he would've thought. The heroine kept her gaze locked at the top of the rubble, waiting. 

“I can tell you’re worried about Nurse Bit, but there’s no need, sonny.”

_ How can I not be worried, especially after  _ **_that_ ** _?? _

Soon, a gradual echo of taps began to grow. Along with it, a silhouette rose from the rubble and grew in size. 

They made it!

The younger heroine carefully slid and hopped her way down. Once she finally touched down onto the bare and undamaged ground, a chorus of cheers and applause filled the air; which, startled the nurse. The obvious crack on the front of her mask caused the digital face features to glitch out, making it hard -well, _ harder _ \- to tell what kind of expression she may have been wearing. 

She walked past the crowd, her direction aimed at the med-bots that were carrying a stretcher. She gently set the brunette down, straying for only a moment before going to Recovery Girl. Nurse Bit kneeled in front of the older heroine before wrapping her arms around the woman. Shinso didn't notice it until then, but she was shaking, trembling actually. From the erratic rise and fall of her chest, it was obvious she was hyperventilating as well. 

The actual school year can’t be worse than this, right?   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this earlier, but I sort of changed/reworded what Yagi said in the mall scene. It's nothing too dramatic and it doesn't change the original context. 
> 
> Also, deku is still kinda op af ig.


	11. First Day and Then Some

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title is the summary.  
> Edit: I totally forgot to put up a link for the discord server...  
> welp. https://discord.gg/UXtcxnf9

When everything was said and done, word had spread of what happened to the examinees in the other battle centers. Each student that was present in the area at the time was given an apology and offer of sessions from UA’s very own counselor, Hound Dog. 

Ochako Uraraka, the girl who had initially gotten caught up in the mess, woke up not long after being admitted to the nurse’s office. Recovery Girl had given her one last healing kiss on her cheek and some gummies for the road before sending her home. Meanwhile, Shinso, who was thankfully unharmed, promised himself to thank the youthful nurse the next time he saw her- if he even made it in, that is. 

As for Izuku, it took a good while before he was able to fully calm down. When that fear was gone, it was replaced by the temptation to chew the principal out and show him just how pissed he was about the whole thing. However, if he lost his temper, he would be the exact thing that his mom ran from. The reason she left. 

So, instead, he calmly strolled down the hall where the principal and the rest of the staff still were. He hadn’t changed out of costume yet, so his fingers dug into the stretchy, yet durable, fabric as he kept his fists clenched. His hands were the only thing that showed how he wanted to feel while the rest of his body language spoke of utter serenity. 

As he walked into the room, Nezu’s grin stretched. “Midoriya, dear boy! I take it you liked my surprise?”

He kept his hands behind his back, hidden from view. As politely as he could muster, he said, “Er- not exactly sir. I didn't really appreciate that big scare too much.” _What in the_ ** _FUCK_** _were you thinking, you psycho?! There could've been_ ** _several. casualties._** _that you would’ve been held accounted for!_

“Now that’s no fun. I guess not everyone shares the same type of humor.” 

_Yeah, no shit._

He hummed. ”Oh well, I’ll have to try again next time with less of a dramatic flare.”

_Deep breaths Izuku, deep breaths._

_I **really** need to stop picking up on Z’s and Katsuki’s colorful language habits. _

“Actually sir, I have a request.”

“Anything that’s within reason shouldn’t be a problem, my dear.”

“I think it’s pretty reasonable...maybe.”

“Then what did you have in mind?”

The rest of the staff- excluding Eri and Xy since the girl had woken up from her nap and he had decided it was time to go back to the mansion- could only watch as the principal and Chiyo’s apprentice continued with a lighthearted conversation. The kid didn't look fazed in the slightest, and the only one who knew the truth was Recovery Girl herself. 

She’s never approved of Nezu’s more sadistic tendencies and never will, but he is her employer so she doesn't have much of a say. And at this point, she can only hope that he doesn't have a repeat of that disaster next year. 

* * *

  
  


“You know the basic rules.”

“Of course.”

“Try not to give Shota a headache, because I know you’ll find a way; even if you are well behaved.”

“Ah- fair… and yes, ma’am.”

“You already know where his room is, so I wont keep you any longer. Now, go and have a good day dearie.”

“You too, Chiyo-san.”

Right before he could leave, Recovery Girl reminded him of one last thing. “Oh, and don’t forget that I expect to see you after school today.”

“You know I could never.”

And with that, he was on his way to class 1-A. 

Fortunately for him, he’s had time to get used to the whole layout of the main building; so it’s safe to say he knew his way around. Considering this, it didn’t take him very long to find the door he was looking for- even with the leisurely stroll he took to get there. 

Over the murmur of voices muffled by the towering door, two louder ones could be made out. Izuku recognized one as Bakugo’s. The other was unfamiliar. They were arguing about something. Bakugo having his feet on the desk? Sounded about right, but no one’s ever reprimanded him for something so simple, much less at all. Somei Academy, huh. That does explain some of it.

When he slid open the wooden mass, it went unnoticed; so he did the only thing that seemed reasonable and kept his head down as he went to his seat, keeping his steps light. He wasn’t acknowledged in the slightest until he sat down. Bakugo was the first one. He only paused for a moment, turning to look at Midoriya but didn't say anything. He didn’t look mad like he usually would either- just skeptical and maybe confused. It was an odd, yet nice change. The other kid, Tenya Ida, glanced, but nothing more. 

Good. 

As long as he doesn’t fuck somthing up one way or another, the year should be pretty peaceful if he avoids too much attention- seen as quirkless or not. 

The next thing he knew, in came Ochako Uraraka. Behind her was Aizawa… who was kinda just chilling on the floor in his yellow sleeping bag. The color choice was unexpected, considering what his hero attire consisted of, but who is Midoriya to question it.

_Why do I have a feeling that Eri would nickname him– that is, if she hasn't already– the caterpillar man?_

No one seemed to notice him either. That was, until he _made_ himself known, clearing his throat as he crawled out of the portable contraption. 

“Welcome to UA’s hero course. It took eight seconds before you lot finally shut up, but that’s not going to work. Time is precious and rational students would understand that.” His voice remained drained and neutral. “Hello, I’m Shota Aizawa, your homeroom teacher.”

By then he had everyone’s focus as he pulled out a gym uniform. “Put these on and head outside; you have ten minutes.” With that order, he left. Izuku knew about his teaching methods and how strict he could be -courtesy of Recovery Girl-, so he didn’t hesitate to grab one of the folded uniforms that were stacked in the corner. Everyone else followed his lead. 

He stopped at the door to the boy's locker room long enough to point the girls to their own before he continued on his way. He didn't waste a moment to get changed and head outside. 

He was the first one out. Iida, Ashido, Shoji, Aoyama, Yaoyorozu, and _Shinso_ were the next few to show up with the rest of the class following suit. 

_Nezu really did go through with it._

_Brownie points to him._

Turns out they were completely skipping orientation to do a quirk assessment, and as an example to what kind of tests they would be going through, Aizawa had Bakugo throw a ball as far as he could. He was allowed to use his quirk in any way he pleased to assist him; all he had to do was stay in the circle.

He used a large explosion at the same time he threw, sending the ball _flying_. He got a score of 705.2 meters.

And at the flashy display, a couple students commented on it like it would be some sort of game.

Not a very smart move. 

“So you think this’ll be fun, huh? In that case, I’ll be adding a condition. Whoever places last after these eight clearly has no potential, so they will be expelled _immediately_.”

Uraraka was the first one to argue. “ You can’t do that- we just got here! Even if it wasn’t the first day, that isn't fair.”

_Oh dear…_

“For one: like I said earlier, I run my class how I want. And two: You think _life_ is fair? Natural disasters, villians, or maybe catastrophic accidents? You think those are fair? No, they’re not. You need to understand that life is filled with unfairness. That’s why it’s a hero’s job to combat that unfairness. For the next three years, you’ll be pushed to the brink, being thrown one hardship after another. So go beyond, plus ultra style.” In summary, suck it up and do your best.

With that, they began their tests, starting with a fifty-meter dash.

First up were Tsuyu Asui and Tenya Ida. 

**_“Runners, on your marks! Ready?”_ **

At the bang, the two took off. Iida obviously used his engines to make him go faster while Asui used long, fast-paced bounds. She imitated how a frog would hop, which made sense considering her quirk. Hell, her quirk’s name was literally _Frog_. 

After that came Ochako and Ojiro, then Aoyama and Ashido. 

Ojiro used his tail to bound across the track, almost mirroring the frog girl in a way, while Ochako used her quirk on herself to make her clothes lighter, essentially making her faster. When it was the next group’s turn, Ashido ran while Aoyama used his naval laser to shoot through the track… Until he was forced to basically reset his quirk and turn it back on again. 

Up next, Izuku and Bakugo. 

The thing was, Bakugo still thought Midoriya was quirkless. So when the blond sees him using a quirk, there’s no telling what his reaction will be. However, that doesn't give Izuku the excuse to slack off in any of these tests. He would find out eventually anyway, so might as well bite the bullet now. 

With this in mind, Midoriya kept his expression as natural as possible when he casually created the hologram of a motorcycle and a proper helmet for it. He kept his gaze on the products of his quirk as he solidified them. When putting on the helmet and getting on the motorcycle itself, he couldn't help but notice Katsuki remained quiet. **"** **_On your marks!”_ **Izuku revved up the engine and hovered his fingers over the throttle, as the blonde got into a runner’s stance. 

****

**_“Ready?”_ **

At the bang, he gripped the clutch as far as it would go and the bike took off. Bakugo used his explosions to propel himself through the air, quickly speeding ahead. 

**“4.13 seconds!”**

**“4.76 seconds!”**

Once he heard the time, he eased off the clutch and switched to the brakes. He pulled the helmet off, dissipating it. When he was fully off the bike, he dissipated as well with a wave of his hand. 

Even after they were done with their turn and waiting on the rest of the class to finish, Katsuki never once approached him, much less said anything to him. So, still concerning.

The next test was grip strength. He decided to not use his quirk on that one, seeing as he couldn't really figure out a way to do it. Sure, there was the option of making a clamp, but he’s been through ten months of training almost non-stop; so he _should_ get a decent score without it. 175 kilograms. That’s actually pretty good considering how it doesn’t even look like his body has been through so much work and dedication. Hidden strengths -literally- are good to have anyway. 

Test three was the standing long jump. He went with a super elastic trampoline for that one; and honestly, being able to control some of the specific aspects of his holograms besides the permeability, was convenient as _hell_. 

The fourth test was repeated side-steps. He didn't use his quirk for that one either. 

The ball throw was up next and Ochako went first. She had used her quirk on the ball so when she threw it, her score ended up being infinity. Some of the students were surprised. It shouldn't have been considering her quirk _was_ zero-gravity. 

Soon enough, it was his turn. He could use a bat, but that’s too basic. A canon? Nah. 

“We don’t have all day,” Aizawa called from where he stood. 

_That’s it!_

Midoriya created the solidified hologram of a conveyor belt that tilted up at about 125 degrees. Then, he quickly worked on upping the speed of it. Once he was satisfied with that, he dropped the ball on the belt and watched as it zoomed up all twenty-five feet in mere seconds. The ball surged through the air, almost out of sight. 

Aizawa held up the phone, showing his score of 830.4 meters. 

His score was good enough, so he ended up not using his quirk for the distance run, sit-ups and seated toe-touch (And thank Kami for all those nights of free-running or else the distance run would've been a _bitch_ to deal with). 

“Alright, time for your results.” Eraserhead pulled up a holographic screen that had everyone's overall score.

**1\. Momo Yaoyorozu**

**2\. Shoto Todoroki**

**3\. Katsuki Bakugo**

**4\. Tenya Iida**

**5\. Fumikage Tokoyami**

**6\. Mezo Shoji**

**7\. Izuku Midoriya**

**8\. Mashirao Ojiro**

**9\. Ejiro Kirishima**

**10\. Mina Ashido**

**11\. Ochako Uraraka**

**12\. Koji Koda**

**13\. Rikido Sato**

**14\. Tsuyu Asui**

**15\. Yuga Aoyama**

**16\. Hanta Sero**

**17\. Denki Kaminari**

**18\. Kyoka Jiro**

**19\. Toru Hagakure**

**20\. Hitoshi Shinso**

_I should've aimed for a more middle-ground or lower place, but what’s done is done I suppose. The thing I’m worried about is Shinso. His quirk is like Aizawa’s; Useful in a fight against live enemies but not very helpful when it comes to activities like this._

“And I was lying, no one is going home. That was just a rational deception to ensure you gave it your all during the tests.” He paused to watch the student’s reactions. Only Yaoyorozu -besides himself- knew it was a trick all along. No one was very happy that she missed to inform them about it, but they’d get over it eventually.

When Izuku turned to look at Shinso, the boy’s mood could only be described as pure relief. He recognized the expression and body language as “I barely got away from what could've been death itself.” Of course it wasn’t in a literal sense, but the sudden peace from so much stress can sure feel like it sometimes. 

“That’s it for today. Pick up a syllabus from the classroom and make sure to read through it tonight.” After that order, he left, leaving all twenty students to their own devices. Izuku watched as his teacher and- technical- coworker left; and when he did, he saw a glimpse of yellow. 

It was All Might! But, why was he hiding? For being the number one hero, he isn't very slick, much less discreet. It took the man a good minute to realize that he had been caught. The bashful look he wore said it all.

Instead of hanging around outside any longer, Midoriya decided it would be a good time to hang out with his love interest-er, I mean, one of his favorite people. Midoriya understood that All Might had probably wanted to talk when he was in the observation room, but since he was busy with Nezu, they never actually got the chance to converse.

Now would be a good time. That is, if he can control the excited pounding in his chest.

_Be still, my heart._

**“Young M-Midoriya! I- um- I can explain- I mean-”**

The boy couldn't help but giggle at his reaction, and if that wasn't the most heavenly thing, then Toshinori didn't know what was. 

“It’s okay All Might. I think I understand why you decided to pay a little visit.”

**“You do?”**

“Mhm! You wanted to see one of the future classes that you’d be teaching.” **_Not exactly, my dear, but yeah...we’ll go with that_ **“That is, unless Eraserhead decided to expel everyone- which he didn't!”

**“Wait, how did you know I took up a job here? It wasn’t supposed to be known until tomorrow...”**

“Nezu told me and it wasn't hard to figure out anyway. Why else would you be at UA during the entrance exams?”

**“Ah, I see.”** He said this, dejected that he couldn’t surprise the kit. 

“Don’t worry sir, you’ll still be able to surprise everyone else,” Izuku said, patting the man’s arm. 

**“I suppose you’re right.”** Seeing the students heading near them, he ushered Midoriya away from the corner. The boy understood and started walking back to the main building- the way that Aizawa went- with the blond right beside him. Then All Might got an idea. 

**“Actually, how about we go for some coffee or tea?”**

“I would love to All Might!” 

**_Yes!_ **

“But I have to go to Chiyo-san and I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying for.”

**_Damn._ **

**“What about tomorrow?”**

“I can’t be too sure when she’ll have me stay after school again; it’ll most likely be pretty random. Though, I _do_ always have weekends off if that’s alright with you, sir.”

**“Of course. By the way, how is young Eri?”**

“She’s been doing really well- way better than when we started.”

She really was. Occasionally she will still make sure she’s allowed to do something simple, but it’s become less of a habit. And ever since they took her on a run that one night, she’s joined in ever so often when she’s feeling antsy. Even Sensei has warmed up to Eri. She now smiles and laughs like a child her age should be. 

He chuckled, continuing. “Z can deny it all he wants, but Eri has him wrapped around her little finger without even trying.”

Before All Might could get the chance to reply, the telltale, high pitched voice of Nezu called out. Apparently the principle had some things he wanted to go over and double check before tomorrow. As he was whisked away, he gave a short wave goodbye. 

Izuku was upset that their talk was cut short, but it wasn't like he wouldn't get the chance to see the blond again, so he just accepted it and waved in return. “See you tomorrow!” 

Getting back on task, he made his first stop at homeroom to grab a syllabus; not that he really needed it but might as well read over it just in case. There were a few students lingering or just grabbing their stuff to leave. It was mainly Shinso, Sato, and Tokoyami in their own little bubbles while Ashido, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero all hung around Katsuki. Looks like the blond already found a nice little group of friends seeing as they didn't appear very fazed by his aggressive-ish behavior. But it was also weird since Izuku thought he would’ve left already. Oh well. It's not like it’s his business. 

He promptly left after grabbing a syllabus, not interested in making conversation or hanging around any longer, and made his way to the nurse’s office. Because of this, he missed the way Bakugo looked at him with uncertainty and hesitation. 

When he got there, Chiyo-san handed him his first hero costume. Some students did tend to stay after school depending on the situation so it made sense that he would have to change into the costume. That didn't make it any less cold to wear, however.

First order of business: check medical histories. He grabbed the tablet that Recovery Girl kept on her desk in another room attached to the main office, skimming through the courses, Business and Support. A few allergies here and there, but nothing too concerning that might interfere with their studies. The General Education course also looked good to go. None of their quirks were very self-destructive so that factor was certainly helpful in avoiding any injuries.

He moved onto Class 1-B, the group Vlad King was assigned. Neito Monoma had quite the number of hospital visits in his younger years. He must've learned to be careful about who he copied his quirks from since it declined quite a bit over the years. The next one with _some_ issues was Pony Tsunotori. She was a transfer student from America. Her only visits to the hospital- which luckily were few- was because she went overboard on her quirk and her horns apparently suffered for it. Any damage however, was naturally dealt with as her horns grew back anyway. 

Going down the list, Ibara Shiozaki. When she was younger, a neighbor wasn’t paying attention and accidentally sprayed her with pesticide. For one, how the _fuck_ does that even happen?? And for two, my _god_ the irony. Pesticide versus a child with a plant based quirk. That looked to be the only major trauma she had to suffer though. He went through the rest of the students, finally finishing reading through 1-B’s list- Vlad King included. It was satisfying to know he wouldn't have to see many of them often; not he didn't enjoy company, but that kind wasn't exactly preferred. He’d rather see other students _outside_ of the office. 

Moving on, it seemed like he was going to finish with Class 1-A’s list. First up was Yuga Aoyama. Some stomach issues- not major. Since his quirk was the cause, it could be lessened with enough quirk training. Tsuyu Asui didn't particularly have much of a history, but he would need to watch out for her quirk. In the description of her quirk, it was noted that, like a frog, her weaknesses lie in cold and hot environments.

Next was Tenya Ida. He had a total of four fractures or sprains and a small concussion in the first few years he tried using his quirk. It was understandable though, getting used to having _actual engines_ in your legs sounds quite difficult- as all quirks are.

Denki Kaminari was one of the one’s he’d have to keep an eye on. Poor kid ends up frying his brain every time he overuses his quirk. It’s also listed that he has ADHD and possible mild Dyslexia because of it. It was never confirmed -for some reason- so it’s stayed as “possible” for the past three years. 

The main problem that Koji Koda deals with is his extreme Entomophobia. Maybe some therapy would do him some good. 

Shoto Todoroki, Mrs. Rei’s son. The burn on the right side of his face was obviously not from his quirk, but extremely hot water- likely boiling? No. That's not exactly right either. It's more of a burn being mistreated. Doesn't seem like a fun story to tell. Other than the obvious scar, he’s had no hospital admissions. _Not sketchy or concerning at all_ , but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it won't we?

Fortunately, the remaining students all had minor problems that don’t have much of a chance of popping up or interfering any time soon. Just as long they’re careful and don't overdo it with their quirks, they should be fine. 

He sat up from his chair, stretching his arms over his head and feeling a few satisfying pops. Then, he set the notes from earlier on Chiyo-san’s desk, making sure to leave a sticky-note on top that only had a smiley face as its contents. 

Finally, he could go change in the locker-rooms and be done for the day. 

At least, that’s how it was going to be until he opened the door to the office, only to find Shinso. His hand was raised as if he was just about to knock. 

_Thank Kami I have to keep this mask on as a cautionary thing._

“Little Shinso, it’s certainly a surprise to see you!” The poor kid looked nervous. “Did you need something, dear?”

“I uh- I wanted to say thank you.” Straight to the point it seems. 

“Whatever for, hon?”

“I was told in the acceptance letter-er, video(?) that along with rescue points, I had gotten a last-minute recommendation from one of the staff. At the time I had assumed it was you so I wanted to say thanks for it...but now I feel like I was probably wrong and I'm just wasting your time-” He looked more unsure and regretful the longer he spoke. 

_Hold. The fuck. Up._

He kept his tone stern, yet lighthearted. “I’m gonna stop you right there. Who ever said you were wasting my time?”

“No one, but I-”

“Exactly. First things first, if you ever need to talk, the doors always open. Secondly, you would be right to assume it was me. Though, there’s no need to thank me, alright? What I saw during that exam was a promising hero, and all I did was help with that first step of your journey.” He gently ruffled the boy’s hair. “Now, from what I can guess, you’ll miss the next train if you don’t leave now. But if you need help with something or just wanna chat, you know where to find me.”

“Er-Thanks.” He shortly waved as he began to leave. ”See Ya.”

 _Now_ he can go home. 

Izuku quickly changed out of his costume and returned the case to Power Loader. As he walked down the hallway, on his way to the entrance, he sent Xy a text, letting the ravenette know to get a gate ready. 

**FurryPrick: No**

**Me: Wdym nO?**

**FurryPrick: I'm still picking you up, but it aint gonna be by gate.**

**Me: What other way (besides walking) are we getting back??**

**FurryPrick: You’ll see bunny boi, so don't you worry your little cotton tail. lamp**

***lmai**

***lamo**

**Me: Nice one**

**FurryPrick: ༼✿◕ᗜ◕༽┌∩┐**

  
  


While Midoriya wasn’t too worried about what Xy was up to, he couldn't help but feel curious about what he’ll do this time. Most of his antics were harmless, but that didn't make them any less annoying. Though, it kept the air of the house light so he can't complain _too_ much.

Either way, that didn't stop him from looking for mercy in hopes it won't be anything rash, much less troublesome. 

It seems like his cries were once again ignored. Parked in front of the school gates, was a sleek, back limo. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Xy to be the driver. 

He shouted with the most gleeful voice, “Get in loser, we’re going home!”

Midoriya went to open the passenger door, only to find it locked. “Can you unlock the door?”

“Nope! You, bunny boy, get to ride in the back.”

Izuku rolled his eyes and chuckled, but didn't say anything, getting in through the door closest to the passenger’s. After buckling in, he turned to the rest of the vehicle. It was two more rows after the one he was in, four seats per row- all a crisp white leather. Though, the third row was facing the opposite way. The back consisted of two rows of connected seats that faced each other and stopped to leave room for the last doors. Against the wall of the back was a built-in mini-bar that included a mini-fridge. The floor and roof was lined with bright LED lights consisting of soft blues and purples. And seeing as the passing outside had a shaded look, the windows were most likely tinted. It was certainly fancy. 

_Huh._ “Where exactly did you get a limo? Actually, when did you even get your _driver’s license_?”

“I thought it would be a fun change of pace if I started picking you up and dropping you off at school like this, so I convinced Overlord Mcgee to get one. And he wanted to make sure you would like it, so he specifically picked this one out. I gotta say, the leather is nice, but the _cushion_ on these seats is like sitting on a damn cloud. I don't know how they did it, but they did.”

He had a point. ”They _are_ quite comfy…”

The older male only lit up more. ”Oh, and check this out.” He clicked something on the control panel, and after a moment, Izuku had a good hunch as to what he was referring to. “Built in seat warmers!”

“I get that you're excited, but please make sure your focus is on the _road_. You can always show me everything later when you’re not driving.”

“Whatever you say, _mom.”_

* * *

“And after that, it took a good bit to calm down. Ten outta ten, would not recommend going through again.”

“No kidding. Remind me again why that place hasn’t been shut down yet, or to the very least, sued?”

At the moment, Izuku and All For One were relaxing in the spa room- yet another place in the house Midoriya was never aware of- idly chatting about what happened during the entrance exam and earlier that day. It had originally been All For One’s idea; he’d insisted that it would be a good way to relax from all the stress. Since Eri had fallen asleep early, it didn't take much to convince Midoriya.

The place included a long indoor pool and hot-tub, both lit up with white lights along the walls. The floor was made up of sleek wooden boards that were covered in a seal to prevent water damage. Along one of the longer edges of the pool were wooden pillars, the shade lighter than the flooring. In between these pillars were long glass panes- each one showing off part of a beautiful scenery. Two separate rooms branched from the pool room, one being a sauna while the other had several spa beds and the proper equipment for the room’s purpose. 

That was where one could find both males. As they spoke, Izuku was in a soft pair of shorts while laying on his stomach, head semi-propped up by his crossed arms while Sensei worked on loosening any tension in his shoulders, neck, and back. The Lavender oil he used was heated just enough so it wouldn't burn the boy’s delicate skin. 

“It was a one time thing - _hopefully_.”

“That doesn't excuse that rat’s actions. I mean, what would he have done if one of those children had gotten severely hurt or even _killed_ because he didn't have your gift to save them? Just from what you’ve told me, two of those examinees would be dead right now if it wasn't for you.”

“I think he only did it _because_ he knew that wouldn't happen.”

“I still stand by what I said.”

Izuku could only hum in response. Sensei kind of had a point, but he couldn't completely concentrate on the conversation itself. His attention was elsewhere. Like, the gentle, yet firm strokes that were filled with care as they ran up and down his spine. The perfect circles that did _wonders_ to his shoulders, and the teasing feathery touch when Sensei’s hands ran down his sides, always just missing his nipples. Of course, it would never happen on purpose, nor would the man even consider it. Hell, being a choice for either man, much less both, is a pipe dream. 

He knows that, but it never hurts to fantasize about it once in a while. Though, the little sparks of pleasure from the skin-to-skin contact with Sensei is kind of making it hard not to think about it. He’s probably not aware of it, and that's fine. Just the fact that he’s able to enjoy moments with the two subjects of his unrequited love is enough for him.

“Something on your mind, little one?” _Annd_ , there’s that voice he could absolutely _swoon_ to. Well, not literally, but it sure does feel like he’s on the verge of it sometimes.

“No, not really. I suppose I just never realized how relaxing this actually is.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm.”

“If you enjoy it that much, I wouldn't mind doing this more often.” Izuku knows it was an innocent offer, but the way Sensei worded it sent his mind deeper... _elsewhere_. He should really stop or else it might become obvious- and we don't want that, do we? He could see it now- the endless amount of shame and embarrassment would only be the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s okay, I wouldn't want to be a bother.”

“A bother? My dear, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

There goes those little compliments that make his heart flutter. Sensei sure is on a roll today.

“Whenever you’re feeling stressed, tell me and we’ll do this again. How does that sound?

“Are you sure I won't be imposing on anything? You’ve seemed more busy that usual lately.”

“Nonsense. I can always make time for you, little one. So, how about it?”

Midoriya hummed. ”Alright, but only if I think I really need it.”

“Deal. However, if I see you’re not holding up your end of the deal, I might have to start choosing for you and end up dragging you down here.”

_God damnit. Just **fuck** what I said earlier, right?_

He’s gotta end this quick, no matter how relaxing it is. “I understand. Now, it's probably getting late so i should really be heading to bed,” he said, already getting up, pretending to shortly stretch. He quickly waved, already heading out of the spa room door. “Goodnight Sensei, ThankYouForTheMassage!” He left before the man could get a word in.

* * *

_Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit.Shit_

He scrambled upstairs, into his room, and ran to his bathroom, slamming the door shut. In no way did Sensei say anything that was sexual. So, why was he _hard_?? Izuku should feel ashamed of it, but that’s kind of hard to do when all he can concentrate on is the constant throb in his dick. 

He tugged his shorts off and got into the shower, turning it to warm. As the water cascaded down his back, he thought of what Sensei might do if he was there with Izuku; and if the love was mutual, of course. 

Maybe he would slowly run his calloused hand down Midoryia’s chest and stomach, teasing him. Then glide it up the boy’s small member. With his other hand he would glide it across Midoriya’s chest, gently rubbing his large fingers over one of the boy’s nipples, earning a small gasp.

Then, he would begin to gently stroke Izuku’s member at a leisurely pace.

His words would be but a whisper into the boy’s ear. _“Enjoying yourself, little one?”_

“Hah, _Sensei,”_ he gasped.

This clearly pleased the man as his gentle grip sped up only the slightest, causing a small whimper and moan to follow suit. His nipples were still given plenty of attention as they were pinched and rubbed. 

_“Good, very good.”_

It hadn’t been that long since the whole thing started, but as he gasped and moaned Izuku already felt like he was on the edge. 

“S-sensei, _sir-_ ” he silently cried out, nearing his limit.

_“That’s it, my dear; it’s okay, go ahead and come for me.”_

The fantasy alone made him come, his face twisted in ecstasy as he saw stars. 

Once he washed himself off and got ready for bed, all of the shame hit him. He couldn't help but think,

_Kami,_ _it’s a good thing Eri’s staying with Aizawa and Mic._

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like slowburn should be a tag for this fic and I just realized Izuku is lowkey OP...oh well. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Also, almost 9000 hits in only 10 chapters?? You guys are awesome! Those kudos and comments really keep me motivated ngl.


	12. Indoor Battle Training pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ik its a bit early, but any of yall notice the pattern yet?

The next morning, Izuku got up earlier in order to avoid Sensei. There was no way he would be able to look the man in the eye or even _ talk  _ to him without being reminded of the shame he brought upon himself. Luckily, Xy was the first one up either way, so once Midoriya was ready, he didn't have to wait to be driven to school.

Sure, he could've gotten there by gate, but Xy does as he pleases and there's really no stopping him. So he might as well enjoy the time the drive gives him to think and mentally prepare himself for the day. 

Besides homeroom, the rest of the classes were pretty normal; they had their first four periods before lunch. When that came around, Izuku opted for finding a secluded or empty place to eat, either one worked, which looked to be out of the question since he didn't see any tables open. And unless he settled for eating on the roof, the only place that looked okay enough was the one Todoroki was at. He seemed like a kid who kept to himself so it couldn't be too bad. 

Midoriya took a deep breath and headed over to the heterochromatic boy. 

“Mind if I sit here?” 

Todoroki looked up, finally noticing his presence. He shrugged, ”Not like I can stop you so I don't care.” His voice had a stoic, yet icy feel to it. 

Midoriya mumbled out a small, ”thanks,” before sitting down and opening the bento Xy made for him that morning. It was a simple yet filling lunch of two salmon and teriyaki chicken onigiri, two egg rolls, and a few sausage octopi. The raven sure made it obvious which onigiri was which seeing as one looked like a chicken and the other was decorated to imitate a fish. Funny.

As annoying as the older teen could be, he sure knew how to cook. Thank god for that. 

After lunch soon came their heroics class. As they waited to meet their teacher for that period, everyone held their breaths in anticipation. While there was no telling who it could be for everyone else, Izuku knew. With All Might suddenly showing up and taking a job at UA, it was obvious he would be the one to teach them heroics. 

And to prove him right, a voice that everyone knew the face to-no matter who you might've been- announces,  **“I AM HERE! Coming through the door like a hero!”**

Izuku was forced to muffle his giggles as he watched the mountain of a man stand on his tippy-toes and hang halfway in the door. He couldn't help it, it just looked so ridiculous. Of course, we can't forget his little march to the podium. Now _ that _ was hilarious. Though, he didn't have to worry too much about the noise since everyone else was cheering in excitement and amazement. Midoriya couldn't blame them. He is, after all, the number one hero. The symbol of peace. The  _ embodiment _ of what it is to be a hero. 

All Might saw him laughing by the faint blush on his face; hopefully the man doesn't take it the wrong way.

He cleared his throat, shortly covering the bottom half of his face in his hand before continuing.  **“Welcome to the most important class at UA High. Here you will be learning the basics of what it is to be a pro.”** Then, he pulled out a card with the word “ _ Battle” _ on it. **“Today's lesson will test your abilities!”** He paused for only a second, pulling out a remote that brought out multiple walls with the push of a button. Their costumes!  **“However, one of the keys of being a hero is looking the part! These were designed for you based on your quirk registration forms and the request you sent in before school started. Get suited up and then meet me at Ground Beta!”**

A cheer of, ”Yes sir!” filled the air. And like that, he left the room almost as quick as he came.

Wait a damn minute. Dread and horror hit Izuku once he realized that Xy designed  _ both _ of his costumes. It wasn't just the one as he had hoped. Of course it wouldn't have been. With a quiet groan, he grabbed his case and trekked to the locker rooms with uncertainty. He didn't need to look back to see everyone following suit. The only exception being they were actually excited to see their costumes- most of them at least. 

Mentally preparing himself for something-er, honestly anything- Midoriya opened his case.

_ Hah? _

The first item of clothing was a cotton silk long sleeve and a matching pair of gloves. It resembled a loose, carnival-dancer British style blouse. The cuffs stopped halfway up his arms. However, only the bottom half of the shirt had buttons to close it, so the top was simply left open. Great. Next on the list was a pair of royal green pants with a fabric belt of some sort. Though, it looked to sit more around his belly button than his waist and the buckle was an extremely dark metal, almost making it look black. His earrings that Sensei gave him were in a pocket at the top of the inside of the case. His last item of clothing was a pair of black, knee-high boots. 

_ Why does everything have to be knee-high? _

Moving on. His accessories included a pouch, a bit larger than his hand in height, that had a strap on one of the sides that went around his leg along with the one at the top that would sit normally around his waist. And lastly, his sword and sword holster. Those two would be on his back. This should allow him more freedom with his legs, at least. Overall, it wasn't a bad fit, ya’know, besides the part where half of his chest is going to be exposed for literally no reason. 

* * *

All Might watched as the students walked out of the tunnel at once, almost making it seem like they were marching to battle. He was proud to say that each and every one looked like a hero already. 

**“Shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?”**

As a small cheer erupted from the crowd, he scanned the group for the kit he simply  _ adored _ . To his bad luck, Midoriya was in the back. All Might felt a bit dejected at the distance, but no matter, he shall still enjoy the time he has with the kid. Speaking of which, his costume was cute. It made him look like a little prince- like the royalty he is. And as his loyal follower, All Might vows to forever stand by his side. 

**“It’s time for combat training!”**

Iida cut in before he could say anymore. “Sir, this is the same faux city from the entrance exam, is it not? Does that mean we’ll be conducting urban battles again?”

**“Not exactly, young man. Most of the fights you hear about or even see are outside; however, if we’re talking statistically, fights with the most dastardly villains take place indoors. Think about it, the most wise villains know to stay indoors. For this indoor exercise, you’ll be randomly put into teams of Heroes and Villains for two-on-two battles.”**

At the brief pause, some took as their chance to speak up. 

“How will you be deciding who wins?”

“How much can we hurt the other team?” Why did Bakugo suddenly sound beyond pissed?

“Are the losers going to be expelled like yesterday?”

“Isn't this cape  _ Éblouissant?~ _ ”

Izuku had to stifle another laugh. The poor man seemed to be struggling from the mass of questions. Everyone else was too busy amongst themselves to hear All Might mutter in a strained voice,  **“I wasn't finished** **_talking._ ** **”** Oh but Izuku did, and while he felt bad, he also found it amusing all the same. 

**“Listen up!”**

All Might pulled out a small book and began to read from it. 

_ A script?  _

**“This is your situation: the villains have hidden a bomb somewhere in their hideout; the heroes’ job is to foil their plans. To do that, they must either capture the villains or recover the weapon. However, the bad guys succeed if they protect the bomb or capture the hero’s. We’ll be choosing teams by lots!”** he exclaimed, holding out a box that seemingly came. out of nowhere.

Iida asked with uncertainty, “Isn't there a better way to do this?”

_ Well, if you think about it, heroes are always being randomly teamed up with others from different agencies on the spot. Unless it’s a planned rescue or attack, there's no telling who you might have to fight alongside. _

__

**“That’s exactly right, young man!”**

Shit, he said that out loud.

**“Time is precious, now let’s draw!”**

In the end, the teams were as follows:

**Tsuyu Asui & Ejiro Kirishima**

**Katsuki Bakugo & Shinso Hitoshi **

**Kyoka Jiro & Koji Koda**

**Mashiro Ojiro & Rikido Sato**

**Toru Hagakure & Momo Yaoyorozu**

**Yuga Aoyama & Mezo Shoji**

**Ochako Uraraka & Shoto Todoroki**

**Izuku Midoriya & Hanta Sero**

**Tenya Iida & Mina Ashido**

**Fumikage Tokoyami & Denki Kaminari**

So he was paired with Sero, huh. He’s the one who can dispense tape from his elbows- what a versatile quirk. Plus, he seems more laid back so that's good. 

“Midoriya, right?” 

“Y-yeah that’s me. Sero?”

“Yep! Man it’s gonna be cool to see your quirk in action. It’s like you do just about anything with it huh?”

“I-I suppose I can do quite a bit, but d-depending on who we’re up against, your quirk’s going to be the key to winning.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

All Might then dipped his hands in two large boxes.  **“The first two teams to be battling it out will be…”** he said, pulling out two spheres with letters on the front.  **“Team B as the heros versus team H as the villains!”**

Izuku muttered, “So I was right…”

**“Everyone else head to the monitoring room to watch.”**

Wait. Team B is  _ Katsuki  _ and Shinso. Both of their quirks are gonna be tricky to fight- that and a certain blond looks a little too trigger-happy at the moment. Why is there also a very pissed aura being directed at him. Like, what happened to anger management??

**“Villains, you have five minutes to set up before the heroes are sent in. Use this time wisely.”** Before Izuku and his partner were about to head in, All Might gave one last word of advice.  **“Young Midoriya, young Sero, the key to being successful in this exercise is to embody villainy. Think from the perspective of an evildoer. However, if things happen to go too far, I won't hesitate to step in.”**

And with that, they were sent on their way.

“Earlier, I could only guess that you already had a plan?”

“Er, somewhat. I know Bakugo will immediately go for me, so it’ll be best if I leave it to you to protect our ‘bomb’”

“What about that tired-looking dude?”

“Shinso? I'm not entirely sure what his personality is like, but I know he has a brainwashing quirk. He doesn't exactly look like a fighter, so just don't verbally respond to him and you should be fine.”

“That sounds simple enough.”

Izuku continued, internally thanking whatever deity that Sero didn't ask how he knew the other guy's power when no one has actually seen him use it. “Though, since we _ are _ supposed to be taking on a ‘villainous mindset’, I say we make it a bit more flashy than just fighting.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Of course. Your tape, how strong do you say it is?”

...

**“Attention Team B and H! Your time begins now!”**

Midoriya took a few deep breaths before he went to face Bakugo head-on . 

_ Showtime.  _

* * *

All Might along with the rest of the class watched as Midoriya strolled down a corridor, face set in a blank expression on one monitor while another displayed the hero setting off a trap. Sero hung on a side of the building with the fake bomb nowhere in sight since he had hidden it somewhere off camera before their time was up. 

Shinso, as well as Bakugo, struggled as they were wrapped in layers of tape. Though, it only took the blond a minute to get both of them out with his quirk. The point of each trap they came across and occasionally set off obviously weren't meant to capture them, but slow them down; they  _ did _ have a time limit after all. 

All Might couldn't help but worry for the angel. He was walking towards the hero team, and that Bakugo kid seemed to act like Midoriya wronged him somehow. 

“Deku, you bastard!!! I’ll kill you!!!” Another _ lovely  _ instance of colorful language from the blond as they had gotten caught in yet another trap. 

When they got out, Bakugo ran ahead with only one goal in mind.

Right as he saw the familiar silhouette of the blond, Izuku brought up a wall to block the explosion that followed. He let it down only after the smoke cleared and he could see a pissed off blond. Shinso had caught up with him, but Bakugo paid him no mind. 

His focus was on one thing, and one thing only. 

“You fucking lied to me shitty nerd!!!” He charged at the shorter male with a right-hook and yelled, ”That bitch was wrong too! You fucking  _ were  _ looking down on me all these years!”

Izuku caught it, using his momentum to throw Bakugo over his shoulder. He really did not want to have this conversation with other people watching.

_ You’ve literally lived with a villain- well, ex villain for at least half of your life. It shouldn't be that hard to act like him. _

He forced a sick, mocking grin and said, “Aww. Is Kac-chan upset? Poor hero got his feelings hurt by little ol’ me.” He waited for red, angry eyes to meet his own before he spat, “ _ Pathetic. _ ”

He summoned another shield in time to avoid most of the initial attack. Some of his costume was singed but it wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed. 

Once the explosions came to a halt, he gripped the metal hilt of his sword and brought it out of it’s holder with a swing aiming for Bakugo’s legs. He didn't want to severely damage anything- not like it couldn't be healed, nor did he manage to actually land a hit- he simply needed to keep the blond on his toes. So, Midoriya continued swinging his blade with precision, forcing him down the hallway bit-by-bit. 

_ “Shinso’s on the third floor and he hasn't spotted me yet.” _

“Good, keep him busy unless he manages to get himself wrapped in another trap.”

_ “Ten-four. Man, we really made quite a few of those things didn't we?” _

“Yep.”

Katsuki growled in frustration. “Stop half-assing it and fight me properly already!”

_ “You found Bakugo? Heh, good luck.” _

“Ooo,  _ someone’s _ getting impatient. But sure, I might as well humor the little  _ bitch _ .”

The initial smell of nitroglycerine became stronger as larger explosions popped from his palms. ”The hell did you call me, shitty nerd??”

“Get it, because you act and look like a Pomeranian?” He didn't get a response, only the growth of explosions and the scent of burning caramel increasing. “Come on, that was funny.” He sighed. ”I guess heroes just don’t understand a good joke- what a bummer-”

Sharp pain blossomed in his head and the stench of smoke assaulted his nose as he was suddenly slammed into the steel wall, being held up by his open collar. 

“I’ll  _ show  _ you a fucking joke when I shove my foot up your ass for thinking you’re some kind of hot shit!”

Ignoring the dull throb behind his eyes, Izuku teased, “Getting a little feisty, are we Kacchan? Though, I don't particularly appreciate the-” 

He was violently jostled, making the throbbing worse. “SHUT UP! Shut the hell up for five _ fucking  _ seconds!” He waited for Bakugo to continue, keeping his lips in a smirk. “Listen here shitty nerd, because this is what’s going to happen-”

**_“A member of the hero team has been captured.”_ **

_ Nice job Sero.  _

“-First, you’re going to stop with this bullshit act and fight me seriously. Second, you’re going to fess the hell up and tell me the fucking truth on how you suddenly have a damn quirk. And afterward, I'm going to pummel your ass into the ground for lying to me all these years. Got it??”

“I’ll fight you seriously Mr. hero, but I would rather we not have this chat with an audience. Sound fair?” 

“Tch. Whatever.”

Midoriya was knocked into the wall again before he was dropped. He dusted himself off and put his sword back in its holder. He had a better idea on how to win. Izuku got into position, motioning Bakugo to come at him. Rule twelve on fighting: unless your strategy is forced to otherwise change, let your opponent come to you. 

The blonde took that cue, not hesitating in the slightest to attack. Izuku readied himself to grab both arms once Katsuki was close enough. He was quick to get one hand bubbled but missed the other, allowing the blond to change his momentum with his free hand to fly over Izuku and send a blast at his back. In his moment of pain and hesitation, Bakugo took that chance to spin him around and force his upper body down, sending a harsh knee to his stomach. Even with only one free hand, he still manages to figure out a way to bring Izuku pain. 

Midoriya blocked out the pain in favor of taking advantage of their close proximity and brought an arm forward to hold Katsuki in place as he sent a harsh knee upwards, slamming it just hard enough in between his legs. 

* * *

From the monitoring room, every male student plus some cringed and watched as the explosive blonde doubled over in agony. It was one of the most promising dirty moves that would ensure to take your opponent out of commission for quite some time. 

“Deku, you fucker! I’ll kill you for that!"

He used the time Bakugo was writhing in pain to book it in Sero’s general direction. 

_ “It got weirdly quiet there Midoriya; is everything okay?” _

“Yeah. Though, Bakugo might be down for a bit.”

_ “That was fast- what’d you do?” _

“I don’t think you wanna know. You’ll probably find out later anyway.”

_ “Damn, but alright.” _

_ That easy?  _

“Go ahead and move the weapon back inside its original room. I’ll meet you there in a sec.”

_ “You're the boss.” _

Midoriya was halfway to the third floor when a loud, sudden force knocked him off his feet and sent him flying into the wall at the end of the hallway. He barely had time to register it when sharp pain exploded throughout his body- especially his head. He could make out the stench of burning flesh, and it hurt like a  _ bitch _ . His vision stayed blurred out as he started to get over the initial shock. Even so, he could tell there was a great deal of debris because of that blast.

He wasn't dumb, a little disoriented but not dumb; he could tell Bakugo was the source of that blast. How it was so big, he doesn't know. Izuku knew the guy was powerful, but that doesn't explain how he caused so much damage in one go. 

“You really thought you had me there for a sec, didn't you? Well joke’s up dipshit, I don’t go down without a fucking fight- one you’ve clearly been pussyfooting around. Fucking figures.”

He groaned, trying to stand up and face the furious blonde, but everything hurt. His head was pounding worse than before and now his whole body was shaking from the amount of effort it took just to hold himself up. He reached a hand to the base of his curls and came back with crimson red liquid now staining his palm. That's not good. 

A quick ping echoed off the walls.

_ The hell... _

“I’m all loaded up. Since you’re such a stalker, you already know how my quirk works. I secrete nitroglycerine-like sweat from my pores and make it explode. You already experienced first hand what it could do if I stored up a shit ton of it for one giant blast! These gauntlets aren't just for show, they've been storing up my sweat this whole time! Imagine what another one would do!”

**“Young Bakugo, don’t do it! You’ll kill him!”**

Katsuki didn't listen, already pulling the pin as he exclaimed, “He’ll be fine as long as he dodges this time!”

Izuku didn't have anywhere to go. He wouldn't have enough time to climb over the rubble that blocked both other corridors. So, he did the only thing his mind could think of and summoned two shields, throwing them at an angle that would knock Bakugo’s arm up more instead of straight forward. For extra measure, he quickly summoned a third shield, placing it in front of himself. However, as he summoned the last one, the hot fire had already been halfway to him. It didn't help either that his state of pain, disorientation, and exhaustion caused the third shield to weaken, glitching out as he braced for impact. 

It never came. What did come was something he didn't foresee. Upon impact, a large section of the ceiling above him was completely destroyed, separated from the rest of the structure. It all came crashing down on top of the boy, forcing him to submit to the darkness. The last thing he saw before everything went black was dust, and in that was a frozen figure. 

* * *

**“Everyone stay put!”** All Might said in a rushed manner, already making a break for it towards the door. 

No one moved, watching as the number one hero dashed out of the door at the same time the floor the ceiling had crashed onto, crumbled under the weight and caved in as well. 

On his way to their location, he tapped the side of his earpiece twice, connecting his voice to the other earpieces instead of the speakers.  **“Young Sero and Shinso, this exercise has been cancelled. Please calmly head back to the observation room and wait until further instruction. And if you will, please escort young Bakugo with you.”**

He got to the side of the mock building in seconds, jumping in through the hole made by the first blast. On the other side of the hole in the flooring was Bakugo, completely frozen. All Might thanked the _gods_ that he kept his phone on him as he emergency dialed Aizawa using the earpiece. The man would _not_ be happy in the slightest to hear how a student was almost killed under his watch. _Almost-_ he doesn't dare think that the possibility of death is even an option. It can't be.

When Eraserhead picked up, he was already jumping to the lower floor to find Midoriya. 

_ “It hasn’t even been half the period, what did you do?” _

He threw every last pebble and slab of concrete in his way, getting more frantic each second he didn't see a sign of the boy.  **“Get Recovery Girl and have her come over** **_asap._ ** **”**

_ “What happened, All Might??” _

__

**“I don't have time to explain right now! Just do it!”**

_ “Damnit- we’ll be there in five minutes tops.” _

__

**“Please hurry.”**

All Might moved the debris faster, all the while being wary of any that might set anything off and make it worse.

**_Please be okay. I don’t know what I would do if you lost your life because of my own mistakes.  
_ **

After hauling one of the heavier slabs, he had finally found something. A tuft of curly green hair poked out of the creases, sparking hope in the man. However, as he quickly finished uncovering the rest of the boy, that hope was put out. There was blood flowing from a large gash on Midoriya’s forehead, running down and staining his freckled cheeks. He checked Midoriya’s wrists and neck for a pulse, finding one, but it was faint. His breathing was shallow and any other gashes left on his body were pouring out blood, painting the dull grey concrete a dark red. 

****

All Might picked up the boy, not caring if the blood got on his costume. All that mattered in that moment was getting his prince immediate medical treatment. 

So he flew out of the way he came in, soon running into Aizawa and Chiyo. He laid the boy on the stretcher, readying to follow after but the elder woman stopped him, insisting he go back to his class. All Might wanted to argue, but the look in Chiyo's eyes warned against it. He lingered, watching as the light of his life was carted away

****

**_Hang in there Young Midoriya._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm having trouble thinking of a hero name for the broccoli incarnate. Any suggestions? 
> 
> Also, this chapter really should've been out earlier but I was procrastinating. Anywho, join the chat if you want to be notified on when I'll update and spoilers if you enjoy those- or just @ me for traumatizing the children. https://discord.gg/G8YNy8KdzS


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